Senate measure would block Trump plan to politicize federal grants

WASHINGTON — Senate leadership on Sunday released the text  of a bipartisan government funding stopgap measure that would block the White House’s proposal to give political appointees control over federal research grants. 

The continuing resolution  would fund the government until Dec. 11. It would only block the Trump administration’s new grants proposal until that time, but it will be more difficult for Republicans to allow the White House’s plan to take effect now that they’ve agreed to blocking it, even if temporarily. 

The provision emerged from bipartisan discussions in the appropriations committee, to which Republican leadership agreed. The Senate is expected to consider the funding bill this week, after which it will break for August recess. The government funding bill that the House passed two weeks ago does not include a similar provision blocking the grant rule. The House already is in recess. Once they’re back, the two chambers will need to work out their differences before government funding expires at the end of September, and the president would need to sign it.