DOGE No Longer In Charge Of Awarding Billions In Federal Grants

The Washington Post: DOGE Loses Control Of Process For Awarding Billions In Federal Funds 
The U.S. DOGE Service has lost the power to control the government’s process for awarding billions of dollars in federal funds, the latest sign of the team’s declining influence following Elon Musk’s high-profile exit from Washington, according to two people familiar with the situation and emails obtained by The Washington Post. Three months ago, DOGE employees wrested control of a key federal grants website, grants.gov, which serves as a clearinghouse for more than $500 billion in annual awards, The Post reported. For most of the program’s existence, federal agencies including the Defense Department posted their funding opportunities directly to the site, where thousands of outside organizations could see and apply for them — until April, when DOGE staffers changed the website’s permissions to give themselves power to review and approve all grants across the government. (Diamond and Natanson, 6/27)

The Boston Globe: Food For Starving Children Worldwide Is Still Sitting In A Rhode Island Warehouse. It’s A Case Study In DOGE Aftermath.
A nonprofit in North Kingstown is an example not only in how DOGE disrupted the federal government, but how long it is taking to undo its mistakes. (Kopan, 6/28)

The Washington Post: In Sudan, Where Children Clung To Life, Doctors Say USAID Cuts Have Been Fatal 
The 3-year-old boy darted among the mourners, his giggles rising above the soft cadence of condolences. Women with somber faces and bright scarves hugged his weeping mother, patting her shoulders as she stooped to pick up her remaining son. Marwan didn’t yet know that his twin brother was dead. Omran shouldn’t have died, doctors said. The physician at his clinic outside the Sudanese capital said basic antibiotics probably would have cured his chest infection. The International Rescue Committee, which received a large amount of its funding from the United States, had been scheduled to deliver the medicines in February. Then the new U.S. administration froze foreign aid programs, and a stop-work order came down from Washington. (Houreld and Haroun, 6/29)

AP: Nations Are Meeting To Drum Up Trillions To Fight Poverty — But Not The US
Many of the world’s nations are gathering starting Monday in Spain for a high-level conference to tackle the growing gap between rich and poor nations and try to drum up trillions of dollars needed to close it. The United States, previously a major contributor, pulled its participation, so finding funding will be tough. The four-day Financing for Development meeting in the southern city of Seville is taking place as many countries face escalating debt burdens, declining investments, decreasing international aid and increasing trade barriers. (Wilson and Lederer, 6/30)

Stat: France Woos U.S. Scientists Trying To Escape Funding Cuts 
When this city’s largest university launched a program earlier this year to offer U.S. scientists three-year postings, it didn’t take long for the applications to roll in. Within weeks, there were nearly 300. Those applications detailed researchers’ grants and publication records, but in the view of the president of the school, they also brought to life the very real fears American academics are facing as the Trump administration axes funding for scientific research in the United States. (Joseph, 6/30)

In other Trump administration news —

Bloomberg: Trump Officials Met Walmart, Amazon On Direct Drug Sales
US health officials met with with Walmart Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and other retailers [last] week as part of an effort to help Americans get their medicines more directly from companies that make them, according to people familiar with the talks. The conversations between the Trump administration and experts from the nascent straight-to-consumer drug industry are intended to explore streamlining the way Americans get their medicines and therefore lower costs, said the people, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. (Cohrs Zhang and Kang, 6/27)

Military.com: New Army Shaving Policy Will Allow Soldiers With Skin Condition That Affects Mostly Black Men To Be Kicked Out 
The Army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that causes painful razor bumps and scarring to be kicked out of the service -- an issue that disproportionately affects Black men. The new guidance, expected to take effect in the coming weeks, would bar permanent shaving waivers and require medical personnel to craft formal treatment plans for affected troops, according to multiple service officials and internal documents reviewed by Military.com. (Beynon, 6/27)