Veteran researcher warns new OMB grant rule could politicize U.S. science

David J. Skorton, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, writes that after four decades in research he has never seen a threat to science like the new grantmaking rule being considered by the Office of Management and Budget. He argues the proposal would subject federal research funding to heightened political scrutiny.

The OMB draft would change how grants are evaluated, effectively allowing political considerations to influence which projects receive federal support. Skorton says this would undermine the established guardrails that have kept U.S. science insulated from partisan swings.

He points to historic achievements-from turning childhood leukemia into a largely survivable disease to advances in cancer immunotherapy and the development of GPS, semiconductors, and early internet architecture-as proof of what a protected research enterprise can deliver. He warns that eroding these protections could jeopardize future breakthroughs.