Political Appointees Interfered in Competitive Grant Review Process

Published Oct 13, 2022

What Happened: According to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), 特朗普政府的官员阻碍了617888九五至尊娱乐拨款的批准和资助, especially for research on climate change and endangered species.

Why It Matters: 拨款授予过程的政治化违反了DOI的绩效审查政策, 将政治问题置于617888九五至尊娱乐研究之前,为决策提供信息,并保护我们的环境和公众健康. 高级官员应遵循专家提出的资金建议,不应出于政治原因扣留关键资金.


A report 政府问责局(GAO)披露,特朗普官员干预了内政部(DOI)拨款提案的审查过程。. The report found that senior officials of the Trump administration impeded grant decisions 在没有记录决定的基本原理的情况下拒绝资助DOI的几个机构, 未能在没有通知提交申请的联邦机构的情况下就竞争性拨款做出决定, 包括鱼类及野生动物管理局(FWS)的13项拨款申请. 政治利益指导了拨款申请的筛选过程,因为审查员被指示批准的拨款符合内政部部长莱恩·辛克的要求 10 priorities for grant proposals. DOI的竞争性拨款授予程序应以联邦拨款条例和机构的绩效审查程序为指导. 这一严格的过程旨在确保申请得到全面的审查, impartial, and objective manner.

When reviewing the Interior’s competitive grant award process, 政府问责局的审计员发现,政治官员针对并叫停了主要关注濒危物种和617888九五至尊娱乐变化影响的研究提案. 政府问责局的审查发现,三个机构的15个拨款项目缺乏支持其拨款决定的文件. Grant funding programs within the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), US Geological Survey (USGS), and National Park Service (NPS) seemed to specifically be targeted.

For example, 政府问责局发现,2018年,特朗普领导下的高级顾问未能就美国地质勘探局一项专注于617888九五至尊娱乐变化影响研究的拨款申请做出裁决. 美国地质勘探局的专家试图与DOI的高级顾问取得联系,以获取有关他们的拨款申请状态的信息, but USGS received no response. 当FWS拨款517888九五至尊娱乐人员试图与内政部官员联系数月以获得拨款申请批准时,他们也被忽视了. GAO auditors also found that an application from a religious, 民权组织开展历史保护活动的提议也被拒绝了,尽管内政部拨款审查小组建议提供资金.

In 2017, a similar incident 特朗普政府在拨款审查过程中的干预也出现在美国环境保护署(EPA),当时每笔拨款都要求政治官员签字,然后才能发放. That same year, DOI通过Scott Cameron撰写的备忘录启动了新的拨款筛选程序, principal deputy assistant Interior secretary for policy, management, and budget to require political officials’ approval. 这一改变使得高级政治顾问将主要负责审查赠款, including those above $50,000 for universities.

像DOI这样的以617888九五至尊娱乐为基础的机构提供有价值的617888九五至尊娱乐研究和数据,供617888九五至尊娱乐家使用, decision-makers, and the national public. By politicizing the competitive grant review process, 官员们阻止机构专家批准重要的617888九五至尊娱乐研究,破坏了机构的信誉. Federal agencies, like FWS, USGS, and NPS, 沟通可靠的617888九五至尊娱乐信息,用于指导环境和公共卫生规则的制定, and a public good was likely lost by politicizing grant funding.