ASBMB statement on OMB Proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance

On Thursday, May 28, the Office of Management and Budget published a proposed revision to the regulations governing Federal Financial Assistance. This proposal seeks to fundamentally reshape how federal grants across many areas, including the sciences, are regulated and funded by granting the executive branch, specifically the budget office, sweeping authority over grantmaking.

The proposed changes pose serious concerns for the U.S. scientific enterprise, which continues to successfully generate life-saving treatments and cures for the American people and drive a powerful U.S. economic engine. Many of the proposed rules would sow uncertainty across the research ecosystem, including:

• Peer review by knowledgeable scientists to identify meritorious grants would be deprioritized, replaced with final decision-making authority that would rest with political appointees.
• Grants could be eliminated at any time, for any reason, by political appointees.
• Researchers would need prior approval to attend conferences, with those requests required to be included in their original grant applications.
• Scientists could be discouraged from sharing relevant scientific evidence on public policy issues.
• New financial prohibition for federally funded researchers to publish their findings would effectively suppress the scientific record. Thus, potentially life-saving discoveries and innovations may not be shared if research publishing is less accessible.
• New bureaucratic demands would grow, pulling scientists further into paperwork rather than promising research.

These proposed changes are set to take effect at the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2026. Once the rule is implemented, it has the force of law.

ASBMB is highly concerned about the substance, breadth and pace of the proposed changes. We firmly believe that changes to the U.S. scientific infrastructure should be driven by evidence, designed with community involvement, and implemented thoughtfully. We are actively assessing the full implications of this proposal and will submit formal comments to the federal government by the deadline. We will issue additional statements, consider other actions, and maintain ongoing communication with our membership.

Now, we urge members to educate themselves about these potential changes and strongly encourage you to directly share concerns about specific elements of the regulations. Shortly, we will share additional information and guidance on how to undertake the comment process, as well as reliable sources of information as they continue to emerge.