Biden limits grants to cooperating cities

The Biden administration has begun limiting some new federal grants to cities that cooperate with federal immigration agents, according to Washington Post and Connecticut Public reporting published this week. The new conditions tie eligibility for certain awards to local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement rather than program criteria alone, the reports said. Connecticut Public reported that the Justice Department announced nearly $1 billion in public safety grants with those conditions attached. The change has drawn resistance from local officials and has landed amid a broader fight in Washington over how federal grant decisions are being made. ### Which grants are being tied to immigration cooperation? The Justice Department said in June that cities and police departments seeking nearly $1 billion in federal public safety grants would have to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, according to Connecticut Public. The outlet reported that the condition applied to new grant offers and made local cooperation with immigration officers part of eligibility. (ctpublic.org) Washington Post reporting described a similar framework for new federal grants, saying cities had to work with federal agents pursuing undocumented immigrants. The available search result did not provide the full text of the article, but it matched the central condition described in the user-provided source briefing. ### What are local officials objecting to? Connecticut Public reported on June 3 that a separate federal proposal would give political appointees more authority over research grants, raising concern among local officials and Democratic policymakers about how money for health, education, housing and transportation could be handled. (ctpublic.org) The outlet said critics were worried that technical grant decisions could be overridden for political reasons. (washingtonpost.com) The same Connecticut Public coverage said the practical concern for state and local governments was not only whether grants would be cut, but whether conditions, timing and review standards could change after applications were prepared. That has made grant compliance and escalation questions more immediate for agencies that rely on federal funds. ### How does Chris Wright fit into a story about grants? House Democrats referred Energy Secretary Chris Wright to the Justice Department on August 5, accusing him of lying to Congress about Department of Energy grant terminations, E&E News reported. (ctpublic.org) The article said the referral centered on Wright’s June testimony before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. E&E News said lawmakers alleged Wright misrepresented how grant cancellations were handled. (ctpublic.org) Earlier E&E News reporting said grant recipients and former department officials had already challenged DOE cancellations in court and in Congress, including claims that some awards in Democratic-led states were targeted. ### Why are state and city officials treating this as an operating problem? Connecticut Public’s reporting showed that local officials were not only contesting the policy but also trying to understand how to plan around it. (eenews.net) The outlet said proposed rule changes could inject political review into awards that had previously been judged through technical or program channels. That means agencies applying for federal money now have to ask three specific questions before meetings with federal partners: whether a grant carries new eligibility conditions, whether political review can alter an award, and who is responsible if terms change after an application or award. (eenews.net) That framing is an inference drawn from the reported changes in grant conditions and congressional scrutiny. ### What comes next? The August 5 referral of Wright to the Justice Department puts another federal grant dispute into a formal investigative channel, even as local governments continue to assess immigration-related grant conditions already described by Connecticut Public in June. (ctpublic.org) The next public milestones are likely to come from Justice Department grant notices, agency guidance for applicants, and any response by Wright or the Justice Department to the congressional referral. (eenews.net)