The federal government disburses over a trillion dollars in grant funding each year to state and local authorities, colleges and universities, humanitarian organizations, scientists, and health researchers, among others. These grants support a broad array of projects, ranging from repairing bridges to advancing cancer research.
A sweeping rule proposed by the Trump administration could transform the way those funds are allocated, granting the president and his political appointees broad authority to rescind grants or steer awards for nearly any rationale, with scant opportunities for recourse.