Research Community Organizing Around OMB Proposed Rule

As previously reported, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025. Public comments will be accepted through July 13; public requests that the 45-day comment period be extended have been denied by OMB.

As the research community prepares to respond, scientific and higher education groups are providing guidance to help make sense of the more than 400-page proposed rule. COGR, for example, produced a brief factsheet on the proposed rule and has made available the PowerPoint presentation from a June 11 meeting (COGR member universities may be able to log in to view the recording of the meeting). The Association of American Universities (AAU) has set up a page on its website with additional resources for responding to the rule. COSSA is in the process of preparing our own guide to assist the social and behavioral science community.

Other organizations are holding webinars this week to further discuss the community’s response, including Research!America and the American Institute of Physics. 

Institutions, associations, and individual researchers are all encouraged to submit comments and, whenever possible, use the comments to share specific examples of potential impact of the changed policies.