President Trump has signed a new Presidential Memorandum aimed at preventing federal grant money from being used for political lobbying activities, a move the White House describes as essential to preserving the integrity of government funding.
The directive, signed earlier this week, instructs the Attorney General to launch an investigation into potential misuse of federal grant funds and report findings within 180 days. It also significantly shifts grant approval authority from career scientists to political appointees who must ensure awards align with administration priorities.
Grant Oversight Tightened
Under the new requirements, political appointees must personally sign off on all federal grants, with specific instructions to use “independent judgment” and ensure funding decisions “advance the President’s policy priorities,” according to White House documents. Federal employees have reportedly raised concerns about increased bureaucracy and potential politicization of the scientific grant process.
“Federal law strictly limits the use of grant funds for lobbying or supporting political candidates or parties,” the Presidential Memorandum states. “Taxpayer funds should be used to benefit the general public, not to support political or lobbying activities.”
The administration has pointed to several examples of what it considers problematic grant funding, including a National Institutes of Health grant that adapted an LGBTQ+ teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys and National Science Foundation funding for projects addressing racial justice in elementary mathematics.
Broader Pattern of Funding Cuts
Is this just about lobbying? Critics say no. The memorandum appears to be part of a broader effort by the administration to reshape federal funding priorities. Since early 2025, the Trump White House has moved to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, accusing these organizations of spreading “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news,'” according to reports.
The administration has also targeted grants it claims promote “anti-American ideologies.” One White House statement alleged that “more than one-quarter of new National Science Foundation grants went to diversity, equity, and inclusion and other far-left initiatives,” including those that “promoted Marxism [and] class warfare propaganda.”
The President has consistently emphasized reducing government waste and bureaucratic inefficiency since taking office. His administration previously launched a “10-to-1 deregulation initiative” aimed at ensuring every new rule is justified by clear benefits.
Pandemic Research Funding Cited
In justifying the new oversight measures, the White House also referenced controversial funding that supported gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. “An unsafe lab in Wuhan, China — likely the source of the COVID-19 pandemic — engaged in gain-of-function research funded by the National Institutes of Health,” the memorandum noted.
The directive additionally cited NSF grants that allegedly funded “AI-powered social media censorship tools,” characterizing such funding as “a direct assault on free speech.”
While the administration frames these changes as promoting accountability, some career federal scientists have expressed alarm. Federal employees familiar with the grant process have indicated that proposals are increasingly being rejected by political appointees without explanation.
For now, the Attorney General’s investigation will proceed, with findings due in approximately six months—though whether those results will be made public remains unclear. What is certain is that the landscape of federal grant funding is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades.
