On August 3 2026, AGU sent a letter to Senate Appropriations leadership thanking them for including language in their continuing resolution that delays implementation of OMB’s proposed rule on federal financial assistance.

On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our global community of more than half a million Earth and space scientists and allies, thank you for including language in the fiscal year 2027 continuing resolution that delays implementation of the OMB’s proposed rule on federal financial assistance.

If finalized as written, this rule would give political appointees veto power over merit-based peer review, allow the government to cancel active grants mid-project with minimal justification, ban entire categories of science from federal funding, and restrict researchers’ ability to publish their work and present their results at scientific conferences.

Our community has always upheld the highest standards of scientific integrity and ethics to advance science for the benefit of humanity and the environment. Again, we very much appreciate your inclusion of language delaying implementation of the guidance. However, it is essential that this rule be prevented from being finalized at all. We urge the Committee to reject implementation of this rule in fiscal year 2027 appropriations legislation and continue partnering with the scientific community to advance science and innovation in the United States.