Letters to the Editor: Proposal to limit grant funding could harm vulnerable communities
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To the editor: I never thought I’d agree with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), but the threat from the White House Office of Management and Budget’s federal grant proposal is all too real, especially for seniors like me (“Trump administration proposal would all but end scientific merit in grant funding, critics say,” July 10).
To start, it puts at risk research that could lead to advances in treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer. This under an administration that has already slashed funding and support for scientists, some of our most experienced even turning away from the U.S. Case in point: Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi, himself over 60, who is departing UC Berkeley for China.
This dangerous proposal could also do damage to programs especially critical for elders and other vulnerable communities by threatening aid for disaster victims, Medi-Cal and Cal-Fresh funding, housing and community development block grants, even L.A. Metro transit support.
I’m asking everyone I know to urge their elected officials to oppose this measure. Congress can disapprove the rule under the Congressional Review Act or attach trailer amendments to budget acts that block the rule’s implementation. State and local officials can sign letters in opposition. I tell colleagues and friends to do it for ourselves, for our children and for our grandchildren.
Ken Kobayashi, Rancho Santa Fe
This writer is a member of Third Act SoCal, a nonprofit of Americans 60 and up focused on preserving the climate and democracy.
