Washington, D.C.—Today, Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Lori Trahan (MA-03), along with 122 of their colleagues, demanded the Trump Administration stop proposed rule changes that will inject its MAGA agenda into the traditionally nonpartisan federal grantmaking process. The letter, written to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, demonstrated how the administration’s proposed changes will impede critical health research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), headquartered in Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, and at research institutions across the country.
“We write in opposition to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) disastrous and likely unlawful proposed rule that would devastate American health care innovation for generations,” the lawmakers wrote. “...This alarming change would convert our venerable grant review process into a political obstacle course and insider’s game, irreparably damaging our nation’s leading health research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its grantees across the country.”
Since the end of World War II, NIH has relied on qualified peer reviewers and nonpolitical expert evaluators to determine which health care research puts Americans’ tax dollars to best use. This thorough, nonpolitical process has set the global standard for high-quality grant review and propelled U.S. institutions like the NIH and its grantees to the forefront of scientific innovation, discovery and research.
New proposed rule changes from OMB will give partisan political appointees final say over grant decisions and sideline the longstanding and trusted peer review process. Undoing the peer review process in favor of political grantmaking will delay and disrupt health care research that millions of Americans depend on.
“OMB’s guidance would provide little recourse to people subject to political retribution,” the lawmakers continued. “President Trump’s sacking of thousands of NIH researchers and scientists has led to severe understaffing and grant approval delays at NIH. This rule change would make an already problematic situation disastrous.”
MD-08 residents reached out to Rep. Raskin to share their stories, inspiring the Congressman and his colleagues to relay their concerns to the Trump Administration:
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One constituent, Rob, credits NIH health care research with saving his life. Pioneering research conducted by the NIH’s Human Genome Project allowed Rob to finally receive an ultra-rare disease diagnosis after 14 years without answers. Today, he is thriving.
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Another constituent’s participation in an NIH clinical trial led to the identification and treatment of his small yet pervasive cancerous tumors and helped pave the way for a recently approved type of cancer screening that will save numerous lives.
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Another constituent was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before the age of 40 but survived this aggressive and unforgiving disease because of NIH research on early pancreatic cancer detection, targeted immunotherapies and prevention.
In the letter, the lawmakers called on the Trump Administration to halt any rule changes that will allow grantmaking and research decisions to be made based on the president’s personal or ideological agenda, by political appointees and without congressional authorization.
During the Trump Administration, Rep. Raskin has fiercely advocated for scientific research and scientists employed at the NIH and other federal agencies.
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In January 2025, Rep. Raskin, alongside Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (both D-MD), urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to resume full operations, including external public health communications programs at NIH.
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In March 2025, Rep. Raskin led his colleagues to call on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop illegal mass firings that would harm our medical research progress.
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In April 2025, Rep. Raskin led the Maryland Congressional Delegation in requesting an immediate meeting with then-Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Martin Makary on how illegal mass firings at the FDA would keep the agency from performing its mission to keep Americans safe and healthy.
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In October 2025, Rep. Raskin spoke at a Steering and Policy hearing on how the Republican health care crisis is hurting Americans.
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In March 2026, Rep. Raskin delivered remarks on the National Mall at a rally hosted by Stand Up for Science. The rally sought to protest Secretary Kennedy’s attacks on public health and federal workers.
The letter is also signed by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Shontel Brown (OH-11), André Carson (IN-07), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Danny Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-17), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Pablo Hernández (PR-AL), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), William Keating (MA-09), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Christian Menefee (TX-18), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Richard Neal (MA-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Troy Carter (LA-02), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Emanuel Cleaver (MS-05), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Danny Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús García (IL-04), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), John Larson (CT-01), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), Grace Meng (NY-06), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Kelly Morrison (MN-04), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09),Terri Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Dina Titus (NV-01), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Becca Balint (VT), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), James Himes (CT-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Derek Tran (CA-45).
Read the full text of the letter here and below:
Dear Director Vought:
We write in opposition to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) disastrous and likely unlawful proposed rule that would devastate American health care innovation for generations. OMB’s proposed rule change to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, or the “Uniform Guidance,” grants partisan political appointees final say over all grant decisions and sidelines the longstanding and trusted peer review process. This alarming change would convert our venerable grant review process into a political obstacle course and insider’s game, irreparably damaging our nation’s leading health research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its grantees across the country.
Since the end of World War II, our nation has relied on qualified peer reviewers and nonpolitical expert evaluators to determine which health care research offers the best use of Americans’ tax dollars. This thorough, nonpolitical process has set the global standard for high-quality grant review and propelled U.S. institutions like the NIH to the forefront of scientific innovation, discovery and research. Since peer review became standard more than 75 years ago, brilliant researchers at NIH or funded by NIH have decoded the human genome, discovered new immunotherapies to treat cancer and created life-saving drugs for genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis.
NIH’s groundbreaking discoveries have given millions of Americans hope for life-saving cures and innovative treatments and built hard-won trust in U.S. research institutions. Patients, researchers, and doctors at the NIH have shared stories describing the importance of the impartial grantmaking process:
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One constituent, Rob, credits NIH health care research with saving his life. Pioneering research conducted by the NIH’s Human Genome Project allowed Rob to finally receive an ultra-rare disease diagnosis after 14 years without answers. Today, he is thriving.
-
Another constituent’s participation in an NIH clinical trial led to the identification and treatment of his small yet pervasive cancerous tumors and helped pave the way for a recently approved type of cancer screening that will save numerous lives.
-
Another constituent was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before the age of 40 but survived this aggressive and unforgiving disease because of NIH research into early pancreatic cancer detection, targeted immunotherapies and prevention.
Millions of lives have been saved by trailblazing NIH research and treatments, and people across the country and the world are living fulfilling lives today because of these discoveries. This rule change threatens to destroy that remarkable track record and upend the foundation of our health and science infrastructure.
This rule would destroy the peer review grantmaking process which America pioneered and which has served us so well. The rule explicitly instructs political appointees not to “routinely defer” to peer review. Instead, political appointees, often lacking scientific expertise, are given the exclusive authority to reject and terminate projects with little explanation or transparency into their decision-making process. Grant projects could be stopped mid-project with no explanation. Political appointees could eliminate funding for research institutions and research projects simply because they do not align politically with this Administration, expanding the Administration’s ability to punish its designated political adversaries. OMB’s guidance would provide little recourse to people subject to political retribution. President Trump’s sacking of thousands of NIH researchers and scientists has led to severe understaffing and grant approval delays at NIH. This rule change would make an already problematic situation disastrous.
Congress has the power to legislate and appropriate money, but this rule would mandate that “discretionary awards advance the President’s policy priorities.” It grants OMB unilateral authority over grant terminations. At least two courts have preliminarily found that OMB likely exceeded its statutory authority when pausing payments on federal grants and freezing federal funding. OMB's decision to consolidate termination authority is similarly ultra vires and violates Congress’s statutory instructions and power of the purse.
We vehemently oppose this proposed rule change and urge you to consider its deeply harmful effects on medical research and on the millions of Americans who are waiting on lifesaving cures.
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