UCS Urges US House to Preserve Provision Blocking OMB Attack on Independent Science

"It's imperative that the House uphold the Senate's continuing resolution that would temporarily block OMB's efforts to stomp on independent science and politicize federal research and grants.

"The OMB rule would fundamentally change how the federal government awards research funding by replacing a system grounded in independent peer review and scientific merit with one that gives political appointees broad authority to override scientific experts and evidence and cherry-pick studies that align with their agenda.

"OMB's proposed rule is an attack on scientific integrity and independence. Political appointees should not have the authority to decide which research deserves federal support based on ideology. Prioritizing political loyalty over merit-based evaluation undermines a federal research ecosystem that drives American economic growth and generations of technological innovation.

"Additionally, by discouraging or denying funding for research that falls outside an administration's priorities, it would leave policymakers with increasingly outdated and incomplete evidence to inform future decisions. When the best available science is replaced by political preferences, everyone pays the price.

"Congress should reject this OMB proposal permanently and pass the Scientific Integrity Act, which would ensure that federal science stays independent and free from political interference or bias."