In Focus: The Proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance

On May 29, 2026, the US Office of Management and Budget proposed a rule, the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, which could have wide-reaching impacts on federally funded research. The rule would give political appointees within the executive branch new authority to decide which proposals receive federal research funding, allow them to suspend or terminate any ongoing research project if a political appointee deems it against “evolving national interests,” and allow political appointees oversight on the research itself.

In a new In Focus video, Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement Carlos Martín unpacks this proposed rule and describes its implications for independent and rigorous scientific research in the United States. To learn more, read the public comment submitted by Martín on behalf of Resources for the Future.