Ranking Member Takano Condemns OMB Rule to Politicize Federal Grantmaking
Press Contact
Elain Shubat(Deputy Communications Director/Digital Director)
WASHINGTON- Last week, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Takano and Democratic members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee submitted a public comment opposing the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed rule related to Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance. Ranking Member Takano released the following statement following the comment submission:
“The Trump administration’s misguided attempt to politicize the federal grantmaking and research funding process will be detrimental to the health and well-being of the millions of veterans who rely on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) for care and services. The proposed changes would affect the whole of VA’s research ecosystem and could irreversibly degrade veteran trust in VA research and care. Alarmingly, this rule would also restrict community-based services and housing interventions for veterans at-risk or experiencing homelessness. The rule must not be finalized, and I thank my colleagues for joining with me to oppose this dangerous rule.”
This proposed rule was first published in the Federal Register on May 29, 2026, and has received consistent criticism from the scientific community and from numerous stakeholders. All Democratic members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee joined the public comment letter to express serious concerns with the proposed rule.
In the comment letter, the Democratic members highlighted the particular risks this rule could have on the veteran community: “Undermining agencies historically shielded from partisan influence risks immeasurable damage. Public trust is particularly critical for the veteran community: how can future generations be expected to serve if the government routinely compromises the care promised to veterans? Stable federal grant administration free from political interference is essential to maintaining that trust.”
Among other things, the proposed rule would:
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Allow political appointees, instead of subject-matter experts, to decide which grants to issue;
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Allow political appointees to terminate grants at any time if the grants don't align with their political interests;
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Ban funds for research or programs that support “DEI” or “gender ideology,” which will impact research and programs focused on women and minority veterans; and
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Damage career development opportunities for researchers, which could make it harder for researchers to discuss their work and for VA to recruit and retain researchers.
Read the full text of the public comment letter here.
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