The Office of Management and Budget released a 412-page draft rule on federal spending that mandates senior political appointees at agencies to sign off on all research grants for compliance with presidential priorities (Scientific American, 2025).

The proposal states that scientific peer review remains advisory only and explicitly allows grant termination at agency discretion, following an executive order issued after court rulings found prior abrupt grant terminations illegal.

International research collaborations are restricted to case-by-case approval while domestic ones are preferred, with new limits placed on conference attendance costs.