On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule titled Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance that alters how the government handles the management of grants and other forms of financial assistance. Among the many changes in this proposed rule, OMB proposes giving political appointees greater control over the grant selection process, expanding the authority of the government to terminate active grants if they do not align with Administration priorities, and placing significant restrictions on the use of federal funds to cover conference attendance and publishing costs.
According to OMB, the proposed revisions are intended to improve transparency, accountability, and oversight for awards across the federal government, while also reducing the burden on recipients. However, if issued in its current form, this rule would create policies that would cause significant harm to the scientific community, research institutions, and professional societies like ASCE.
We need your help letting the OMB know why this proposed change is harmful to the future of R&D and the civil engineering profession. This Key Alert will help you easily submit a comment on this proposed rule. Those that hold federal awards or anticipate applying for federal financial assistance are strongly encouraged to review the proposed rule and consider submitting comments.
We have provided language to help you craft your message, but we recommend you write more details about your concerns and/or any personal insights for how this proposed rule may affect you, your research group, and/or your institution or firm, as federal agencies are only required to respond to each unique comment. The strongest comments will cite specific section numbers and address the following:
- How would you or your organization be harmed by the change?
- How certain is it that harm will take place?
- Did you make important life decisions based on the current rule?
- What capabilities would be lost if international collaborations were terminated?
- What additional administrative burdens would this rule add in terms of time or money?
Comments are due July 13, 2026, and OMB proposes to issue a final rule that would be effective October 2, 2026, explaining that this proposed effective date “is important to ensure that only a single set of government-wide requirements apply to federal awards made in FY27.” ASCE is also in the process of developing its own public comment to submit to OMB before the period closes in July.
By submitting this form, you are filing a document into an official docket. Any personal information included in your comment text and/or uploaded attachment(s) may be publicly viewable on the web. The specific docket form that you're submitting comments to is https://www.regulations.gov/document/OMB-2026-0034-0001.
Please also review the following notices:
- Regulations.gov terms of participation: https://www.regulations.gov/user-notice;
- Regulations.gov privacy notice: https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice.