Trump proposes putting political goals above objective criteria in deciding who gets government grants, from childcare to research to public safety

The federal government provides grants – any amount of money that the recipient doesn’t have to pay back – for a wide array of purposes that serve the public interest. States, local governments, colleges and universities, students, nonprofits and other kinds of organizations receive these funds. Huge sums are involved. The federal government dispatches at least US$1.2 trillion – more than $1 out of every $6 it spends – through grants and other kinds of transfers. That money has historically been distributed through programs authorized by Congress, using statutory, regulatory, formula-based or competitive criteria, rather than direct tests of political loyalty. But the Trump administration aims to rewrite the federal government’s rules for awarding those grants. The Office of Management and Budget, a government agency that develops budgets and helps set policy priorities, says its proposed revisions of those rules are designed to ensure that all grants “demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities.” The OMB published the proposed changes on May 29, 2026, in a 400-page document, If these changes become official, the White House would exert greater control over funding for medical research, early childhood education, public safety and many other programs. The focus would shift from how much…

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