Plate Nº 34 · recorded October 10, 2026
Science Policy & FundingReported finding
OMB Plan Would Tighten Political Control Over Federal Science Grants
OMB proposed rules released in May 2026 would put political appointees in charge of grant awards, ban collaborations with 'covered' foreign countries, and shift $1.5B from NSF basic research to a new private-sector X-Labs initiative. Comment period closes July 14.
By Nathan Brooks3 min read525 words
In brief
- OMB filed proposed rule OMB-2026-0034 in May 2026 rewriting dozens of grant regulations
- Public comment period closes July 14, 2026
- NSF is redirecting $1.5 billion from basic research to a new X-Labs initiative aimed outside universities
- NIH grant freezes and policy reversals during 2025-2026 have disrupted active projects, per a March 2026 STAT News survey
- New rule bars federal funds for any bilateral or multilateral collaboration with a 'covered foreign country or covered foreign entity'
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released proposed rules in May 2026 that would rewrite dozens of federal grant regulations, prompting scientific associations to warn the changes could "cause significant harm" to US research institutions.
What does the proposed rule actually change?
The proposal, filed under docket OMB-2026-0034, would amend the US Code of Federal Regulations to:
- Require agencies to evaluate grants against presidential policy priorities
- Place final award decisions under political appointees rather than career scientific reviewers
- Bar federal funds from supporting any bilateral or multilateral project that involves a "covered foreign country or covered foreign entity"
- Add new layers of political review that hunt for keywords such as "disparity" and "marginalized"
The American Astronomical Society, which has objected in writing, stated that "the proposed rule, if passed in its current form, would enact policies that would cause significant harm to the scientific community, research institutions, and professional societies."
Why is international collaboration at risk?
A single clause banning funds for any collaboration with a "covered foreign country or covered foreign entity" could derail decades of US partnerships with Chinese researchers on cancer biology, environmental health, and quantum materials. The rule leaves undefined which countries qualify, giving agencies wide interpretive latitude.
Daniel Malinsky, an assistant professor of biostatistics at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said the language creates "formidable obstacles" depending on how agencies enforce it.
How are active projects already being affected?
The disruption has begun. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) imposed grant freezes and abrupt policy reversals during 2025 and 2026. A March 2026 STAT News survey of NIH-funded investigators found a majority reported disruptions to active work.
Junior researchers, who lack the cash reserves of senior labs, now list industry jobs, foreign posts, and leaving science as their likeliest next steps. "Without the ability to plan or make decisions with a long time-horizon, junior researchers are nudged towards leaving science or leaving the U.S.," Malinsky wrote.
Is basic-research money being shifted to private companies?
Yes. An investigation by Science magazine found the National Science Foundation (NSF) is cutting budgets for fundamental research programs and steering $1.5 billion into an initiative called X-Labs. Internal documents describe it as looking "outside of traditional institutions." A precursor program bore the name Tech Labs. Both labels point to NSF money flowing toward for-profit companies rather than universities.
Private firms pursue shareholder returns, not open-ended scientific questions. Malinsky warned that the redirection "will lead to research that is divorced from the public good and not democratically accountable." He compared the strategy to disinvesting in public transit or schools: underfunded public services push users toward pricier private alternatives.
What can scientists and the public do?
The OMB comment period closes on July 14, 2026. Anyone can submit feedback via regulations.gov under docket OMB-2026-0034. Professional societies, including the American Astronomical Society, and advocacy groups such as Stand Up for Science are circulating template comments.
Malinsky urged the public to contact members of Congress as well, calling the pattern "the death of US science by a thousand cuts and incremental regressions."
via aas.org (Original)
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