The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, in conjunction with more than 40 federal agencies, has proposed dramatic changes to federal grant guidelines that would politicize federal grantmaking and weaken scientists’ and research organizations’ ability to pursue independent research for the public good.
The proposed rule would put political appointees in charge of the distribution of nonpartisan Congressionally-mandated funds, allowing politicians to use research awards to advance the administration’s political agenda. This change would curb independent and public interest science by creating uncertainty for grantees whose awards may be terminated at any point if they don’t meet undefined political criteria and by placing massive new administrative and financial burdens on grantees.
As an action-oriented research collaborative, the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative is one of many research organizations that would be harmed by these changes. EDGI is dedicated to forwarding the public’s ability to know and make decisions about environmental issues that affect them, and Federal grants have been instrumental in sustaining EDGI throughout three presidential administrations. If finalized, this rule could be weaponized against organizations like ours who work to advance scientific research that is in the public interest. Additionally, as pointed out by the National Association of Science Writers, the OMB guidelines would also impact how science is communicated by restricting funds used for the communication of scientific findings, severely limiting how organizations like EDGI could communicate federally funded research to the public.
We encourage EDGI’s community to comment before the July 13 deadline. To do so, you can go to regulations.gov to submit a public comment on OMB-2026-0034. After you submit your comment, you may want to share a copy of the comment and the notice of receipt with an organization like Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), so they can ensure all substantive comments are adequately responded to by OMB.
Resources:
- Fact Sheet by Lawyers for Good Government
- July 9 L4GG Office Hours to help comment writers; registration required
- Stand Up for Science Overview of Rule Proposal
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Trump Administration Seeks to End Nonpartisan Grantmaking
- Research America: OMB Proposed Federal Grant Rule: Key Changes and Potential Consequences
- Power of Associations: Comment Guide