Federal grants update

OD2A: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staffers said CDC will be able to fully fund the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program ahead of a key budget deadline.

Reminder: The administration was withholding $140 million from the OD2A program.

• The delays were part of a broader issue with funding at CDC.
• Grantees for the OD2A program were told in July they would receive only half their funding.

The details: Now, most of the programs across CDC apparently can continue, including OD2A.

• OD2A grantees will soon be told they will receive the full amount of funding.
• Why it’s important: Without full funding from the federal government and certainty that it will be distributed, it is extremely difficult for state and local health departments and organizations to operate these programs that address the overdose crisis.

Other CDC programs: But several dozen CDC programs have their budget lines frozen at the direction of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

• The frozen programs are mostly in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, including programs that address tobacco use, school health, excessive alcohol use, chronic disease education and awareness, etc.
• Funding for 5 programs at CDC’s Injury Center was also frozen, including those addressing youth violence prevention, ACEs, firearm injury, injury control research centers, and injury prevention activities.

Executive Order: President Trump also issued an executive order last week to transform how the federal government awards research grants, giving political appointees unprecedented power.

• Instead of experts and career civil servants setting funding opportunities, the order places that authority with presidential appointees who are directed to “advance the President’s policy priorities.” It would require political appointees to review officials responsible for selecting/granting awards and hold them accountable, which likely means that program officers and grant management specialists can be penalized for awarding grants that do not align with the administration’s priorities.
• The order instructs agencies to create a path for canceling previously awarded grants at any time “for convenience, including when the award no longer advances agency priorities or the national interest.”
• It calls for limiting the use of grant dollars for indirect costs.
• It would also require agencies to explicitly approve any drawdown and awardees to provide written explanation justifying each request for money as a condition of receiving the grant.
• Why it’s important: The order could make scientific research much more volatile and subject to partisan priorities. It will also generate a lot of paperwork and new processes, which is likely to slow down grantmaking.