Yes, let’s see how well the research kowtows to the party line. A careful, scrutinizing second review should do no harm, right?

You don't think the scientists, who had their grants approved and were depending on receiving the money to do their work, are harmed by this?

Science organizations operate on shoestring budgets and can little afford disruptions of this sort for grants that have already been approved. Not to mention the fact that the new review criteria may have little to do with scientific merit but on keyword hunting or other opaque processes. As has been mentioned many times in the last few months, government investment in science and technology is critical for the US to remain an economic and military leader, and has garnered broad bipartisan support in the past. Scientific leadership is one of the factors that has made the US a great nation. (Edit: grammar).

It IS a harm that SCIENTIFIC STUDY can only be undertaken if it meets new POLITICAL standards.

This is research that has already been evaluated by an extremely competitive process for scientific merit. Political slant should be irrelevant.

Politics is never irrelevant, it bleeds into everything. That is why elections are so important

This is not a review for quality and the new standards are not about scientific rigor. That's the harm.

You think all research should adhere to what the current administration likes? Does that seem like a good idea to you?

Yes. That's exactly what elections are about. People vote on what they want the direction of the country to be and what policies and projects receive funding. Same as it ever was.