A Presidential memo issued yesterday is shutting down all government grants, including e.g. those from the NSF.
Here's the memo:
MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
FROM: Matthew J. Vaeth, Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget
SUBJECT: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs
" The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve. "
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Here's the story from NPR:
National Science Foundation freezes grant review in response to Trump executive orders, By Jonathan Lambert January 27, 2025
"The National Science Foundation canceled all of its grant review panels this week, as the organization works to align its grantmaking process with new executive orders from the Trump administration.
...
"More than 60 of those meetings were scheduled for this week, all of which were abruptly canceled Monday morning."
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And here's a broader view from the Washington Post:
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion. Trillions of dollars could be on hold, according to an Office of Management and Budget memo. By Jeff Stein, Jacob Bogage and Emily Davies, January 27, 2025
"The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington.
"In a two-page document, Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, instructs federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” The memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, also calls for each agency to perform a “comprehensive analysis” to ensure its grant and loan programs are consistent with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which aimed to ban federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and limit clean energy spending, among other measures.
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And here's the view from Science:
Trump’s shutdown of federal diversity office at NSF breaks law that created it. CHIPS and Science Act established position to broaden participation in science ByJeffrey Mervis
"President Donald Trump’s order yesterday shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices was part of a slew of presidential directives from the new administration that apply to every federal agency. But for the National Science Foundation (NSF), following the White House’s order required it to ignore a mandate from Congress, and the lawmakers behind it are ticked off.
“Trump’s dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the federal government is just plain wrong,” said the top Democrat on the House of Representatives’s science committee, Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA). “For years, the committee has been working in a bipartisan effort to create a STEM workforce that more accurately represents the rich diversity and intellectual capacity of our nation. Trump has made hypocrites of the Republicans who joined us in spearheading diversity and equity efforts.”
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"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
"Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
"Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
—Martin Niemöller
2010
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