Overview

• The August 7 executive order directs agency heads to name senior political appointees who will craft and control grant‐review processes instead of relying on independent peer review.
• Agencies must halt new funding opportunity announcements and update terms for existing and future grants within 30 days to align with the order’s priorities.
• The order bars projects that promote “illegal immigration,” deny that sex is binary or advance “racial preferences,” and lets agencies terminate awards for convenience if they don’t serve national interests.
• Scientific organizations, university associations and lawmakers condemn the move as a politicized power grab that undermines evidence-based funding and scientific autonomy.
• Legal experts and advocacy groups plan to invoke prior court rulings and GAO findings that blocked grant freezes and indirect-cost caps in mounting challenges to the new oversight regime.