Spending deal comes with a bonus: Blocking political control of grants

Congress pauses the OMB's attempt to rewrite how research is funded.

The short version

• Congress pauses the OMB’s attempt to rewrite how research is funded.
• On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure that would continue funding the US government through early December.
• While the measure still requires the signature of President Trump, it’s widely expected that he will act to avoid a government shutdown immediately before the midterm elections.

What happened

This is a normal part of how the US government has operated in recent years, as it’s often difficult to build the political support needed to pass a full year’s budget in advance. In fact, dissent within the House’s Republican caucus prevented them from agreeing on their own measure to keep the government open; instead, the House simply adopted a version of the spending bill that had previously passed the Senate.

Why it matters

That opposition likely contributed to two senators, Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), inserting language into the budget deal that prevents the OMB from implementing it prior to the expiration of the stopgap measure on December 11.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.