Potentially Drastic Changes to Medical Research Funding

In May of this year, the United States government released a proposal that would drastically change how federally funded research, and other government programs, are awarded, reviewed, and managed. This proposal from the Office of Management and Budget at the White House (OMB) would have significant, harmful effects on the scientists, medical professionals and patients who rely on research for treatment and cures.

The public is able to share their thoughts and opinions on proposals from federal agencies like this one. Nearly 500,000 people, including the American Heart Association and hundreds of Heart Powered advocates, submitted comments to OMB, with the overwhelming majority of comments opposed to this proposal.

This proposal would change how decisions about federal research grants are awarded and managed, giving political considerations a larger role in decisions that have traditionally been guided by independent expert review and scientific consensus. Some of these major changes include:

• More political influence over research funding decisions: Political appointees would have great authority to review and influence which projects receive federal funding.
• Less weight given to independent scientific review: Recommendations from expert peer reviewers could be set aside when funding decisions are made.
• Greater authority to cancel ongoing research projects: Federal agencies could terminate or suspend active grants if they no longer align with agency priorities.
• New barriers to sharing research findings: Researchers could face additional restrictions when seeking to publish results from federally funded studies.

These changes to determining what research is funded, the lack of certainty that will be created and the barriers to sharing research will make it more difficult for patients to get access to innovations in medical care and new treatments.

The public comment period for this proposal came to an end in July but your members of Congress can block it from taking effect before it has a chance to harm the research system. Ask them to block this rule and protect scientific discovery.