The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) stands firm with the scientific community in expressing serious concerns about the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s proposed rule on federal financial assistance published on 29 May 2026 (docket OMB-2026-0034), currently open for public comment.

These sweeping proposals collectively undermine an independent scientific enterprise by shifting control of the federal grantmaking process from expert-led peer review to the subjectivity of political appointees. Under the proposed regulations, it is likely that active research grants may be abruptly terminated as administration priorities change. We just saw this with the cancellation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative last month. This removal of climate, fisheries, and weather critical infrastructure is ill advised and timed, coincident with the onset of an immense ENSO event. Counter to the stated aim of increasing transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility, these proposed rules will obscure how grant decisions are made, will normalize retribution, repression and arbitrariness as potential management tools of the scientific endeavor, and will generate widespread instability in the scientific community, paradoxically increasing waste in research funds. The US has been a beacon of international scientific and research development over the past century, and these changes will surely undermine the role of the US in the global research scenario.

It is no accident that the key roles professional scientific societies play in fostering scientific excellence, community, and promoting the next generation are central targets of the proposed rules. Scientific progress hinges on the free exchange of ideas, and the proposed regulations prohibiting publications, meeting attendance, and involvement in scientific societies as allowable costs, or requiring these activities to be pre-approved, open the door to further control. These proposals also threaten ASLO’s key mission in providing professional development and networking support for early career scientists, undermining the future scientific workforce. As an international scientific community, ASLO is also concerned about the language related to international collaborations and cooperation. By limiting international collaboration opportunities, we risk hindering the essential knowledge sharing that has historically spurred scientific advancement and prosperity.

We see great potential for harm to our community’s ability to advance the aquatic science needed to tackle important societal issues, including ensuring clean water and productive fisheries. This is a pivotal moment for our community to come together and advocate for a scientific enterprise free of partisan interference and lend our expertise in shaping the future of science in the US and around the world. We encourage our US members to share their concerns and critical insights about the proposed OMB rules directly by submitting comments at regulations.gov by the comment deadline of 13 July 2026. For helpful resources on how to submit a comment, please visit our friends at the American Geophysical Union at https://agu.quorum.us/campaign/163877/.