Spending deal comes with a bonus: Blocking political control of grants

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure to continue funding the US government through early December. President Trump is expected to sign the bill, averting a potential shutdown before the midterm elections. This routine occurrence reflects the common challenge of assembling political support for a full-year budget ahead of time.

However, dissent within the Republican ranks in the House prevented them from formulating their own bill; thus, they adopted a version that had already secured Senate approval. For scientists and their advocates, this outcome proved beneficial. The Senate's budget bill, enacted in early August, included a clause that prevents the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from implementing new rules granting political appointees full authority over scientific funding decisions.

This rule would enable them to cancel grants at will, a provision that has drawn harsh criticism from scientific and health-focused organizations as potentially disastrous for scientific pursuits.