Share
First EPA, Now Interior Department, Demand Grant Funding Match Trump's Desires
A new directive hidden between Christmas and New Years Eve has been uncovered. It represents the yet another attempt by Trump's political appointees to change government spending by bringing politics into grant funding for important research. While they claim they're seeking to curb potentially wasteful spending, they are in fact stopping research whose results they and their donors would dislike.
Last summer, the Environmental Protection Agency instituted a system requiring that a political appointee in the public affairs office sign off on each grant before it is awarded. The Interior Department has adopted a new screening process for the discretionary grants it makes to outside groups, instructing staff to ensure those awards “promote the priorities” of the Trump administration.
Congress is supposed to govern the priorities and spending of the funds allocated to departments such as the Interior and EPA. The President has historically not been able to insert an appointee to much such decisions. Several experts say this appears illegal and expect it to be challenged.
Although Interior secretaries under Democratic and Republican presidents have directed federal dollars to support their priorities, the new approval process appears to be without precedent within the department.
“This grant approval process looks like a backdoor way to stop funds going to legitimate scientific and environmental projects,” Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee said. “Using the federal grant process to punish scientists doing important work because they disagree with that philosophy is unacceptable...."
Interior has ordered the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to halt two studies that conflict with the administration’s goal of expanding domestic fossil fuel production. One, stopped in August, was looking at whether residents near surface coal mining sites in Appalachia face higher health risks than other Americans. The second, suspended last month, was aimed at updating and enhancing the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s oil and gas inspection program.