U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes sweeping changes undermining scientific research
Protect Scientific Integrity.
Please submit public comments about proposed OMB rule by July 13.
On May 29, 2026, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a new rule for the regulation of federal financial assistance. This rule will systematically disrupt researchers' abilities to do their jobs turning science into political fuel. This rule will have devastating consequences for not only scientists and direct recipients of federal grant funding, but also the American population and anyone benefiting from the scientific research people have dedicated their lives to.
Former NIH Program Officer, Elixabeth Ginexi has summarized the proposed rule and its impacts here. In summary, grants will be reviewed by politicians instead of discipline specific scientists before they ever see peer review, and funding proposals can be rejected arbitrarily. There will be an automatic rejection of grants that touch on things such as "the sex binary in humans,” illegal immigration, or anything that promotes “anti-American values.” Grants can be pulled at any time after award for any reason, international collaborations would be prohibited, awards could be denied based on organizational affiliations, and researchers could not use grant money to publish and provide open access of journal articles. These are only a few examples of proposed changes.
These changes will make it harder for scientists to conduct research and disseminate findings among both the scientific and nonscientific community. This will impede advancements in medicine, technology, and basic science.
Public comments can be made on this proposal here before July 13th. The Docket # is OMB-2026-0034. Comments must begin with the relevant section number in brackets. If commenting on multiple points, put the relevant section number in brackets before each point you are making (Refer to the full proposal or this summary for section numbers). The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends you be concise, constructive, and civil. Explain why you are commenting and what you care about; this can be a personal message about something important to you. If you have expertise, let them know, and provide any information you may have in respect to the topic you are commenting on.
Check with your institution before using a professional title or email address, as several institutions ask that you make it clear you are speaking as an individual scientist.
Thank you for protecting scientific integrity.
Public comments received by OMB and Federal agencies will be posted at www.regulations.gov and be a matter of public record. Accordingly, please do not include any confidential business information or personal privacy information in your comments. |
