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A Trump White House plan to give political appointees more power over federal grant money has sparked alarm among scientists, public health organizations, environmental groups, and others who fear that the proposal amounts to an attempt to subordinate critical funds to the whims of the president and his far-right allies.

More than 300 organizations signed a joint letter on Friday calling on White House budget director Russell Vought, the proposed rule’s architect, to extend the public comment period that’s set to end on July 13, warning that the “scope and impact of [the Office of Management and Budget’s] rule is vast.”

“The rule will impact the entirety of government grant-making across the United States,” the groups warned. “OMB itself says the revisions suggested would relate to over $179 billion of funds to small entities.”

Politico, which exclusively obtained the letter, noted that the “proposed rule has already garnered over 15,000 public comments, with many expressing alarm that the changes could undermine research across fields.”

Under Vought’s rule, federal agencies would be required to perform “pre-issuance reviews” of federal grants — funds appropriated by Congress — to ensure their distribution is consistent with “applicable law, federal agency priorities, and the national interest.”

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