OMB’s proposed grantmaking rule will destabilize biomedical research, experts warn

A proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget to revise the federal grantmaking process is drawing widespread opposition from across multiple industries. Members of the medical research community warn the additional red tape will only serve to impede U.S. biomedical research. 

The Office of Management and Budget published a proposed rule in May that would, among several actions, instate a pre-issuance review on federal grants and give the awarding offices greater authority in terminating grants. 

The rule would apply to all federal grant recipients, and medical research groups are among those leading the charge to roll back or rescind the proposal entirely. If finalized, the rule would go into effect beginning on Oct. 1, 2026. 

Organizations like the nonpartisan advocacy group Act for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are calling for the rule implementation to be delayed. 

“Part of the ask around the delay is there is so much packed into this, you know, the 400 pages that are in there,” Kate Klimczak, Act for NIH’s president, told the Hill.

She noted that her organization is open to and agrees with some parts of the proposed rule, while also highlighting the parts her group believes will “destabilize the enterprise” of biomedical research. Klimczak pointed to the new grant termination language as being particularly destabilizing to research as it would allow for funds to be canceled without cause. 

“Institutions need to know that when they receive grant dollars for a really good idea, that they’re going to get the money so that they can then hire the appropriate supporting staff. They can make sure they have all of the labs and the equipment and all the things that they need,” she said.

The Chamber of Commerce expressed a similar stance in its........

© The Hill