Appropriators scored several measures in the bipartisan Labor-HHS, Defense, Transportation-HUD and Homeland Security funding package that would restrict how the administration spends funds.
Aside from the new transparency and oversight requirements on DHS, appropriators would also place limits on how NIH grants can be doled out, prevent the dismantling of the Education Department and require agencies to maintain certain staffing levels.
These provisions are big wins for appropriators, who’ve been lamenting for the past year about how the Trump administration wasn’t following congressional spending requirements. The hope is that these stronger directives made under bipartisan agreements will hold more weight.
Let’s break down what these measures actually do.
