Driving the news: The White House Office of Management and Budget proposed reforms to crack down on what it called wasteful and ideological spending of taxpayer dollars. The proposal would let agencies suspend or terminate grants that no longer advance agency priorities or the national interest.
The plan has drawn a coalition letter from nonprofits that received federal funding under Biden and, in some cases, sued Trump-era policies. Independent Sector said the rules would deeply disrupt charities and eliminate essential services. It also warned that a vague standard could let political and ideological preferences corrupt a nonpartisan process.
By the numbers: The sources identify several groups in the fight. The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the American Public Health Association $22.3 million for fiscal years 2021-2024. HHS awarded SAGE $1.9 million, with $1.2 million coming in 2024. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project received more than $2.6 million from the Justice Department in fiscal years 2021-2024. AVAC received more than $16 million from USAID in fiscal years 2021-2024. IRIS received $30.3 million in federal grants in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The big picture: The fight is over who controls discretionary federal spending. Critics of the OMB proposal say it would politicize grantmaking and weaken Congress. Supporters say taxpayer money has already flowed to left-leaning groups and politically divisive initiatives.
The bottom line: This is a fight over whether bureaucracy or elected officials steer grant dollars. For taxpayers, the real question is whether the administrative state keeps writing blank checks to favored causes, or whether agencies regain the power to stop bad spending.