Research that helps drive our economy is on hold and may face new ideological limits.

UPDATE: Numerous sources are reporting that the Office of Management and Budget has rescinded the memo that suspended federal grant funding.

Starting a few days after the Trump inauguration, word spread within the research community that some grant spending might be on hold. On Monday, confirmation came in the form of a memo sent by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): All grant money from every single agency would be on hold indefinitely. Each agency was given roughly two weeks to evaluate the grants they fund based on a list of ideological concerns; no new grants would be evaluated during this period.

While the freeze itself has been placed on hold, the research community has reacted with a mixture of shock, anger, and horror that might seem excessive to people who have never relied on grant money. To better understand the problems that this policy could create, we talked to a number of people who have had research supported by federal grants, providing them with anonymity to allow them to speak freely. The picture of this policy that they painted was one in which US research leadership could be irreparably harmed, with severe knock-on effects on industry.

Nonsensical standards

The OMB memo (first obtained by Marisa Kabas; there's a copy at The Washington Post) lays out the logic behind the freeze: Funding by the executive agencies of the federal government should align with the policies of the chief executive. To ensure they do, it calls on all agencies to review the programs they fund based on the policy priorities laid out by Trump's executive orders.

...read more at arstechnica.com