Opinion: Proposed federal grant rules are attempt to ‘muzzle’ science
A proposed overhaul in how federal grants are awarded is aimed at shutting down scientific research on disfavored topics such as health disparities, climate change, gender identity, and vaccines, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Nancy Krieger.
Krieger, professor of social epidemiology, wrote about the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed new rules in a June 27 Boston Globe op-ed. She also wrote about the rules in a June 23 letter to the Lancet and was quoted about the topic in a number of other media outlets.
Under the new rules, which were outlined in more than 400 pages released in late May, political appointees would have final say on which research proposals get federal funding, making peer review—which has long guided the process—advisory. In addition, Krieger wrote in the Globe, the rules “affirm the federal government’s right to terminate grants at any time, refuse to fund work that does not align ideologically with the politics of the executive branch, and impede the ability of scientists to pay for open-access publication, attend scientific conferences, and have international collaborators—all vital for scientific innovation, debate, public engagement, and progress.”
She added, “I know what this type of scientific muzzling does. In February 2025, I was among the first U.S. scientists to have my federal research grant terminated solely because of the topic I was studying—how various types of discrimination harm people’s health.”
In a June 10 New England Public Media article, Krieger said, “This is a power grab. This will stifle American science and ingenuity. It will stifle American scholarship. It will affect Americans’ health. It will affect the well-being of communities. It is a recipe for disaster.”
Krieger urged people to submit public comments about the proposed rule to the government before the comment period ends on July 13.
Read the Boston Globe op-ed:
Quiet regulation changes could censor vital research
Read the Lancet letter:
Act now: oppose a new threat to US federally funded work
Read the New England Public Media article:
Scientists, higher ed alarmed by federal ‘power grab’ over research funding
Read a Washington Monthly article:
Trump escalates war on science
Read a Stat News article:
Health equity researchers fear unseen level of scrutiny under White House proposal
