Fighting the Trump/OMB’s Proposed ‘Federal Financial Assistance Rule’
Noting that the recently proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB-2026-0034) contains a number of dangerous and damaging changes.
Unless the OMB proposal is stopped in response to public outcry and legislative opposition before July 13th, it will a have the force of law and modify the way federal grants will be awarded.
Noting that among the proposals that are made in the 400 page document, the new rules would:
- Allow political appointees to take direct control of the grant awarding process;
- Allow political appointees to terminate grants for any reason and at any time;
- Ban all research on gender, DEI, and related (‘woke’) topics;
- Broadly prohibit and make more difficult any international collaboration;
- Put all agencies that give grants under the control of the OMB;
- Severely limit the publication of scientific research and the sharing of scientific research with the public;
- Require that all research “Align with Administration Policies and Priorities” (whatever those are);
- Require that all research conform to politically defined “Gold Standard Science” (as defined by the politicians in the Executive Branch);
- Many, many others.
Believing that these proposed changes would severely damage the scientific enterprise, an enterprise that has improved the health of the nation, promoted economic development, and extended our understanding of the nature of our world;
Noting that scientific research, and especially biomedical research, is a defining characteristic and economic engine of our neighborhood.
Therefore, the Four Freedoms Democratic Club:
- Affirms the value of allowing scientific experts and civil servants to decide which science proposals should be pursued and funded within the programs funded by congress;
- Opposes the adoption of this rule;
- Encourages members of the Club and all other Americans to submit a comment to the Federal Register opposing this Bill (https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2026-0034);
- Encourages members of the Club and all other Americans to urge their legislative representatives to pass laws preventing the adoption of this rule;
References
White House Seeks to Impose Political Test on Billions in Federal Grants
Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule;
Russell Vought is going to destroy American Science
https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of-key-changes-in-ombs-proposed
What We Need to do NEXT: OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB-2026-0034)
https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-need-to-do-next-ombs-proposed
