The Honorable Russell Vought, Director
Office of Management and Budget
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov
RE: OMB Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (OMB-2026-0034)
Dear Director Vought,
The Alliance of Specialty Medicine (the “Alliance”) represents more than 100,000 specialty physicians across 15 specialty and subspecialty societies who are committed to improving access to specialty medical care by advancing sound health policy. On behalf of the undersigned members, we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the aforementioned proposed rule, which would make sweeping revisions to the regulations governing federal financial assistance, including federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance.
Although OMB’s stated goal is to strengthen oversight and accountability for federal assistance and limit discrimination and administrative burden, the Alliance is extremely concerned that this rule, if finalized, could substantially affect the conduct of medical research in the U.S., and ultimately the care of our patients, by weakening the integrity of the scientific peer review process, discouraging national and international scientific collaboration, and interfering with scientific journal independence. Specialists and the patients they serve rely on federally-funded research and projects not only for new and improved treatments and cures, but for continuous learning on how to care for patients most safely, effectively, and efficiently. The proposals in this rule will have an unprecedented negative effect on scientific discovery and the clinical outcomes of our patients. The Alliance believes it is absolutely critical that decisions regarding the allocation of federal funds are guided by science rather than political considerations. We strongly encourage OMB to withdraw the rule and collaborate with the research community to come up with policies that improve transparency and reduce burden while preserving the role of the scientific community.
Click here to view the full comment letter “The Alliance of Specialty Medicine’s comment letter on OMB’s Proposed Uniform Guidance Revisions”
