Did you submit comment to OMB on the Uniform Guidance Proposed Rule?

It is time to share your comments with your members of Congress! Instructions below.

As may you know, the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rule on Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance received tens of thousands of comments from the public, the majority in opposition to the rule.

The draft rule included an implementation date of October 1, 2026; however, OMB has acknowledged privately that it is not likely to review all comments, as required by law, by then, likely resulting in a delay. In addition, the continuing resolution (CR) passed last week by the Senate to push Congress’ deadline for completing the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills to December includes language prohibiting OMB from implementing the rule. (Note: The House and Senate passed different versions of the CR and will need to reconcile their differences when they return in September; the House bill does not currently include the OMB language.)

While OMB reviews the comments over the coming months, organizations and individuals continue to express their concern for the rule. It is critical that Congress hears your concerns about the rule!

If you submitted comments to OMB:

• Share your comments with your House Member and two Senators. The easiest way to do this is by emailing the offices and attaching your comments as a PDF (or including it in the body of the email if it is short).
• To ensure your message gets to the right person, we recommendcalling each office and asking for the name and email address of the staff member who handles science issues. You can find your Members of Congress and their Washington, DC phone numbers by visiting www.house.gov and www.senate.gov. If they will not provide the email address over the phone, you can ascertain it by following the steps in COSSA’s At-Home Advocacy Guide (page 11).
• Then simply send a friendly email to the staff person registering your concerns and offering to discuss further. Don’t forget to mention you are a constituent!

If you DID NOT submit formal comment to OMB:

• You can/should still weigh in with your Members of Congress about your concerns.
• Follow the same steps above.
• The most important thing is that your messages are respectful and fact-based. The goal is to get lawmakers to appreciate our concerns and act to stop the OMB rule from taking effect. 

Other ways to communicate with Congress

COSSA’s At-Home Advocacy Guide walks you through the many ways you can engage with your elected officials, especially now that they are back home for the August recess. In addition to sending an email, you can call their offices, attend a town hall meeting, or request an in-person meeting locally in the state. These are all appropriate options for discussing the OMB rule.

Do not hesitate to reach out to the COSSA team if we can assist you in contacting your members of Congress. Thank you in advance for your efforts!