The OMB and the Politicization of Science

Abstract

The rule changes that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently pro- posed to the Health and Human Services (HHS) grant process would drastically change this pro- cess. There are too many objectionable aspects of these proposals to discuss here. But three are particularly striking. Political appointees would be able to make funding decisions and could ignore the advice of independent scientists. They could also stop funding midway through the promised grant period. And they would institute new rules, including rules severely limiting for- eign interactions. These changes raise funda- mental concerns about the research endeavor, about ethical obligations to participants in clin- ical studies, about the ability to train the next generation of leaders in biomedical innovation, and about society’s ability to address disease threats early, before broader consequences occur.