I'm still waiting on the smart people. Why is nobody talking about this? I assume this is a "keep your enemies closer" strategy, but the optics are weird.

Probably.

Can't be "denying funding" for something with a decent shot for no concrete reason is how to give the press an actual talking point that they'd never, ever relinquish.

Catching them falsifying reports or any of the other normally not-so-investigated things sounds like more fun anyway.