OMB's grant power grab breaks the internet (comment section)
What happened
The Office of Management and Budget quietly proposed giving political appointees direct control over federal science grant funding — including NASA-adjacent research on Mars organics and early galaxies. The typically ignored bureaucratic rule has pulled in over 500,000 public comments, the vast majority negative, including a sharp rebuke from The Planetary Society.
Why this matters
This isn't just paperwork — it's a structural shift that could let politics override peer review in deciding what science gets funded. Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society says the harm is 'concrete, even if you're not a scientist,' since basic research (and the open-access publishing that spreads it) underpins everything from Mars missions to public health.
The slightly cynical read
Calling grant oversight a fight against 'woke science' is a tidy way to defund things nobody in power wants funded, dressed up as fiscal responsibility. Half a million comments won't stop a determined administration — it'll just make for a great line in next year's congressional hearing.
What to watch next
Watch whether OMB finalizes the rule as-is or waters it down under public pressure, and whether NASA's science budget becomes the first real casualty. If open-access publishing funding gets gutted, expect researchers — and lawsuits — to follow fast.