Under proposed rule, science funding must pass political review

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed rule changes that would bring a major shift (sciencefriday.com/segments/omb-rule-change-pol…) in how scientific grants are awarded by U.S. government agencies. Under the current process, researchers submit grant proposals that are then vetted and scored by a committee of experts in that scientific field, with top-scoring proposals recommended for funding.

If its proposed changes (federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-…) are enacted, the OMB would insert a political review into the process, allowing administration officials to determine whether grant proposals are aligned with administration priorities, regardless of their scientific merit. Those proposed rules are now in a public comment period. Holden Thorp, editor in chief of the Science family of journals, joins Ira to explain why he called the change “another red alert for American science” in a recent editorial. (science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aej3572)

Guest:

Dr. Holden Thorp is editor in chief of the Science family of journals, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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