The comment period for OMB’s proposed changes to the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance (known as Uniform Guidance) closed last night at 11:59pm Eastern. The University of Washington has submitted a formal letter expressing concerns related to OMB’s proposed changes, based on feedback received from the UW community.
In summary,
“The proposed changes in the Uniform Guidance, shifting it to a set of uniform grant regulations, would undermine what is a revered pillar of American greatness; our scientific enterprise. Our nation has benefited enormously from a research funding system grounded in scientific excellence, peer review, and long-term investment. It has allowed us to be the world’s economic driver for generations. Our nation should invest in science, including a funding framework that promotes scientific independence from political interference, stability, and evidence-based decision making, to preserve our dominance. These changes will only undermine our leadership. The University of Washington urges OMB to withdraw the proposed rule entitled “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” in its entirety.”
The full UW comment letter is available here.
The proposed effective date for the new guidance is October 1, 2026. When the comment period closed last night, OMB had received 341,699 comments, which are public record and will continue to be published here.
Additional comment letters:
- AAU Comments on OMB’s Uniform Guidance Rule | Association of American Universities (AAU)
- APLU-July-2026-OMB-UG-Comment-letter-.pdf
In addition, this tracker from APLU contains up-to-date information of letters sent by Members of Congress regarding Uniform Guidance.