Write to Your Lawmakers About the Proposed OMB Grants Rule

The public comment period on the Office of Management and Budget's proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (Docket OMB-2026-0034) closed on July 13. Almost half a million comments were filed, and those that have been publicly posted are overwhelmingly opposed. The response from the scientific community was substantial, and AIBS thanks everyone who submitted comments, shared analysis, or urged colleagues to act.

Congress has now taken an important step. President Trump signed a continuing resolution on September 2 that keeps the government funded through December 11 and includes a provision blocking OMB from issuing or finalizing the proposed grants rule during that period. AIBS thanks the members of Congress who worked to include this provision and those who supported its passage.

But this is only a temporary reprieve. AIBS urges the scientific community to continue engaging with your members of Congress and ask them to build on this progress by pursuing a more permanent solution to the concerns raised by the proposed rule. Constituents should also urge Congress to use its oversight authority to ensure that individual federal agencies do not preemptively implement provisions of the proposed guidance before its finalized. For example, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education have proposed changes to policies governing federal financial assistance that, in some respects, align with provisions of the proposed OMB rule.

OMB's proposal represents a major overhaul of the rules governing every federal grant. It would let senior political appointees override independent peer reviewers, allow agencies to terminate active awards when priorities shift, and restrict the conferences, memberships, and publications through which research reaches the public. OMB concedes it could not quantify what any of this would cost. Congress authorized these programs and appropriates the funds; this rule shifts control over how that money is spent toward the executive branch and away from the merit-based review Congress has long supported.

Use our editable template letter to send a message to your Representative and both Senators.

Please personalize the letter. Describe how the rule would affect your work. A specific, local example from your lab, museum, field station, or department is worth more than any general argument we can supply and identical form letters are often counted only once. Be specific and local: the project you would have to stop or would not propose, the students or staff whose positions depend on the award, the collection or field site in the district, the collaboration you would have to end, or what the added reporting would cost your office in staff time.