Several powerful senators want to stop a third government shutdown in 10 months—at least until after the midterm elections—and are using the opportunity to restore the constitutionally mandated role of Congress to control all federal spending. On August 2 a funding bill was introduced in the Senate to keep the government open. This funding bill included a section to block the May 29 proposal by Russell Vought and his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for new rules to restrict, eliminate, or control most federal science grants and federally funded research programs. These new OMB rules would impact national laboratories, universities, research hospitals, or people collaborating with any of these institutions. In addition these OMB rules would also discourage and sometimes prevent any scientific collaboration with foreign research labs or foreign researchers. Many scientists and scientific organizations such as Stand Up For Science have been warning about the dangers to science by Russell Vought’s proposed rule. The funding bill also prevents the redirecting of funds from one agency to other agencies or for other purposes such as was done for immigration enforcement. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) is determined to pass a funding bill before Congress leaves town for a month-long recess on August 7.
The funding bill is not a permanent fix to the budget and the blocking of the OMB rules would also be temporary. However, this does indicate that some leaders, including some powerful Republican leaders such as Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) or Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and dozens of Democrats, are in revolt to the budgetary tricks from the administration. In 2025 Congress did nothing to challenge the unconstitutional usurpation of control over the federal budget by the unelected Elon Musk and his self-appointed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) as it cancelled contracts, closed agencies, and fired workers, all in clear violation of the U.S. Constitution.
