Leaders are calling on Congress to reject a Trump administration proposal to hand political appointees control over federal grantmaking, potentially impacting $1.1 trillion in funding.

by Polly Nash
July 10, 2026

The proposed rule, published by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on May 29, would overhaul federal grantmaking across agencies, sidelining peer review while elevating political power in funding decisions.

The plans have sparked widespread concern across higher education and beyond, attracting roughly 99,000 public comments to date, with the window to respond ending on July 13.

Among other things, the OMB’s 412-page proposal would shift grantmaking from an advisory peer review board to political appointees—something sector leaders have called “deeply concerning.”

“For decades, the United States has led the world in research because experts in the relevant fields—not political officials—have evaluated proposals for their quality, originality, and potential impact,” President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Lynn Pasquerella told The PIE News.