|
|
Weekly News Digest
 |
August 12, 2025 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
|
New Executive Order Aims to Reshape Federal Grant Processes
The Associated Press (AP) article, “Trump Executive Order Gives Politicians Control Over All Federal Grants, Alarming Researchers,” reports the following:An executive order signed by President Donald Trump [on Aug. 7] aims to give political appointees power over the billions of dollars in grants awarded by federal agencies. Scientists say it threatens to undermine the process that has helped make the U.S. the world leader in research and development. The order requires all federal agencies, including FEMA, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, to appoint officials responsible for reviewing federal funding opportunities and grants, so that they ‘are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.’ Reuters elaborates as follows in “Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Spending on Grants”: The order criticized DEI programs, assistance for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, and transgender initiatives. It said federal grants shall not be used to fund ‘any other initiatives that compromise public safety or promote anti-American values.’ … Rights advocates have raised concerns about Trump’s federal funding threats, saying they harm free speech and academic freedom and amount to political interference that can undo decades of progress. The Hill states in “Trump Signs Order Giving Political Appointees Oversight of Federal Grants,” “The text of the order cites federal grants that have been given to universities that are used to cover ‘facilities and administrative costs.’ It also points to a federal grant that supported gain-of-function research, which came under scrutiny amid the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.” POLITICO notes in “Trump Executive Order Requires Sweeping Review of Federal Regulations,” “It represents an extension of the Trump administration’s work during the first term to dismantle regulations, including his 2017 executive order implementing a ‘two-for-one’ rule requiring two existing regulations to be removed for every new one created. This included significant rollback of environmental, financial and labor regulations.” Stephen Abram shared a post on his blog, Stephen’s Lighthouse, titled “New Executive Order on Federal Grants: What Is It, What to Expect and How to Respond.” It says in part, “It’s not just a procedural update. It marks a structural transformation of how federal discretionary grants are designed, reviewed, distributed, and even rescinded. The order claims to target inefficiency and waste. In practice, it codifies political control over public funding, narrows eligibility based on ideology, and introduces new restrictions on how grants are managed, evaluated, and sustained.”
Send correspondence concerning the Weekly News Digest to NewsBreaks Editor
Brandi Scardilli
|
