Senate weighs delaying Trump's grant-change plan as funding stopgap moves forward

Senate leaders are negotiating a bipartisan stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown, with Democrats pressing to block President Trump’s plan to replace the grant peer-review process with political appointees. Senators Collins and Murkowski have signaled opposition to the administration’s grant-change proposal, while Majority Leader Thune hopes to advance the package soon. The updates also cover related confirmations (CDC and ASPR nominees advancing on party lines), ongoing talks over an IRS audit-immunity settlement tied to Todd Blanche, and other policy skirmishes in Education and the farm bill.