On August 31, 2026, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) joined 104 other national organizations in urging House Appropriations Committee leaders to prevent the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from implementing its proposed revisions to the Uniform Guidance governing federal grants. The coalition called on Congress to stop OMB or any implementing agency from moving forward with the proposal, beginning with passage of the Senate-passed continuing resolution that would pause implementation through December 11.
The organizations warned that the proposed changes could create substantial uncertainty for federal grant recipients by allowing agencies to withhold, suspend, or terminate grants and alter key terms and conditions during the period of performance. “The reach and impact would be extraordinary and extremely harmful,” the letter states, noting that recipients rely on predictable federal funding to support activities ranging from health care and education to disaster response, infrastructure, and scientific research.
The letter highlights particular concerns for the research community. It notes that cuts and delays to federal disease-research grants have already resulted in laboratory closures, job losses for graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and stalled research projects. “Unpredictable federal support pushes universities to chase short-term, low-risk projects instead of long-horizon studies needed to understand and prevent disease,” the organizations wrote, warning that such uncertainty could undermine the administration’s stated goal of advancing “Gold Standard Science.”
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