A Warning On Centralized OMB Grant Review

CATO | 2026-06-29 | society

ThinkTankWeekly provides a curated entry and summary only. Full text and PDF remain on the publisher's website.

English Summary

The OMB's proposed centralization of federal grantmaking poses a significant threat to academic freedom and scientific research by requiring all discretionary awards to 'demonstrably advance the president’s policy priorities.' Critics argue that this mechanism centralizes control under an elastic standard, creating a system of low-trust review that increases politicization rather than reducing it. By making OMB guidance binding regulation without traditional agency rulemaking, the proposal grants excessive executive power over specialized scientific and health research fields. If implemented, these rules risk undermining American institutional stability and could severely damage the integrity of national science.

中文摘要

管理預算辦公室（OMB）提議將聯邦撥款進行中央集權，這對學術自由和科學研究構成重大威脅，因為該提案要求所有酌情撥款必須「可證明推進總統的政策優先事項」。批評人士指出，此機制是在一個彈性標準下集中了控制權，建立了一個低信任度的審查系統，從而增加了政治化而非減少。由於該提案在沒有傳統機構制定規則的情況下使OMB指導具有約束力，它授予了行政部門過大的權力，尤其是在專業科學和健康研究領域。如果實施，這些規定有損美國的制度穩定性，並可能嚴重损害國家科學的完整性。

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