Social Scientists Invited to Comment on Federal Uniform Guidance on Grants

  • By: Deborah Carr

The proposed rule published in the Federal Register by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), titled “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” (Docket: OMB-2026-0034), may have profound negative consequences for social scientists and their research.

If finalized, this 412-page rule will replace the long-standing Uniform Guidance with a unified “Uniform Grants Regulation” across all federal grantmaking agencies (including the NIH, NSF, DoD, and DOE). Because these updates fundamentally alter the administrative framework of federal research funding, it is essential that our community is informed about the details.

According to the federal notice and tracking by higher education associations, the proposed changes include:

  • Political Review & Oversight: Requiring senior political appointees to review and approve discretionary funding decisions, shifting the traditional role of peer review to an advisory capacity. This would require that new grants align with political priorities, with less emphasis on scientific need, statutory mandate, or scientific community advice.
  • Grant Termination Authority: Granting federal agencies expanded authority to suspend or terminate active, multi-year grant awards at any time if they are determined to no longer align with “agency priorities or the national interest.” (Currently this could only be accomplished if there was evidence of noncompliance or fraud by the awardee.)
  • Disallowed and Restricted Costs: Placing new restrictions and pre-approval requirements on major categories of traditional grant spending, including publication-related expenses, professional membership dues, and conference fees.
  • Tracking Requirements: New requirements regarding the pre-listing and pre-approval of planned research publications and limits on international research collaborations.

Per federal law, this notice is open for public feedback, and all researchers are encouraged to submit their independent assessments. If you choose to submit feedback, per University policy, remember to represent yourself and not your institution nor any other organization.  Please also keep the following operational guidelines in mind:

  • Comments must be submitted on or before July 13, 2026.
  • It is generally considered more impactful to submit separate comments addressing specific sections of the rule individually, rather than compiling all critiques into a single comprehensive document.
  • Be sure to reference the precise section of the Code of Federal Regulations you are addressing (e.g., 2 CFR § 200.454 regarding unallowable costs).

Submit Formal Comments Directly: Regulations.gov Comment Page (OMB-2026-0034-0001)

Additional Resources:

 

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