OMB proposes rule granting political appointees control over federal science grants

The Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed a rule granting political appointees significant discretion over the awarding and termination of federal scientific grants. The proposal, which could affect hundreds of billions of dollars in funding, allows for the cancellation of grants with minimal explanation and restricts international collaborations with certain foreign entities. Critics, including physicists involved in the Higgs boson discovery and legal experts, argue the rule undermines merit-based peer review, risks stifling major scientific breakthroughs, and may exceed the OMB’s legal authority.

Russell Vought, who runs the office, has made expanding presidential control over federal spending one of his signature goals. The rule would cover at least hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants, touching everything from food stamp benefits and housing assistance to small business loans and funding for the arts. Many cities, states and nonprofits rely on federal grants in their annual budgets. Representatives of domestic violence organizations and museums and the attorneys general of 22 states are among those who have objected to the rule.

David W. Miller, a University of Chicago physics professor who worked on the Higgs boson discovery, filed a public comment opposing the rule, stating it would force the US to step aside from international scientific leadership. Miller said the new OMB rule would allow termination with minimal explanation or opportunities for appeal, calling it a tool for political coercion. He noted that the rule’s prohibition of researchers using federal funds to support certain foreign collaborations involving covered foreign countries or covered foreign entities would threaten projects like the Higgs boson discovery, which involved more than 60 nations.

An OMB spokesperson claimed the rule is about accountability and would not disrupt major scientific research or supplant peer review, dismissing contrary claims as based on spurious assumptions. The rule cites a 2024 Senate Republican report linking $2 billion in National Science Foundation grants to radical political perspectives, though ProPublica found many cited projects simply referenced existing social inequities or unrelated terms flagged by keyword searches. Legal expert Kali Murray described the move as a hall of famer move by Vought to expand OMB power, potentially overriding existing congressional statutes.

Republican Senator Susan Collins has urged the OMB to withdraw parts of the rule that would unduly burden scientific research, citing concerns over political ideology influencing merit-based awards. The rule is scheduled to take effect on 1 October, pending the review of nearly 500,000 public comments.