Treatment Action Group Demands OMB Withdraw Its Attack on Scientific Independence

TAG joins researchers, scientific societies, and lawmakers nationwide in calling for the rule's withdrawal, warning it would jeopardize progress against HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C

NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Treatment Action Group (TAG) has submitted formal comments opposing a proposed rule from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would overhaul how federal research grants are awarded and managed. Under the proposed rule changes, scientific experts would still review research applications, but political appointees would have final authority to approve, deny, or cancel awards based on alignment with the administration's priorities.

TAG's comment calls the rule an attempt by the Executive Branch to bypass Congress's constitutional authority over federal spending, pointing to the administration's prior grant terminations. Many of which have been challenged successfully in court. TAG's letter argues the rule would compound damage already visible in weakened CDC disease-surveillance capacity, disrupted international research collaborations including HIV studies in South Africa, and the termination of an NIH-funded HIV vaccine trial that was left in limbo for months before its promised funding opportunity was quietly shelved.

"These proposed rules must be withdrawn in their entirety," TAG wrote in its comment, adding that if OMB does not do so, the rule should be struck down by the courts.

TAG's opposition echoes concerns raised across the scientific community. Researchers, universities, scientific societies, and lawmakers nationwide have called the proposal alarming and warned it would make the federal government an unreliable research partner. Senate Democrats have separately demanded OMB rescind the rule, calling it an illegal overreach into congressional spending authority. Nearly 500,000 public comments had been submitted on the proposal.

TAG's comment specifically warns that provisions targeting research related to gender, sex, and health disparities would curtail studies critical to understanding HIV's disparate impact on transgender communities, and that new restrictions on international collaboration would hinder efforts to treat and cure HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis C worldwide, including in children.

TAG is also joining other commenters in requesting that OMB extend the public comment period by 60 days to allow adequate time for review and public input before any final rule is issued.

About TAG
Treatment Action Group (TAG) is an independent, activist-driven research and policy think tank committed to ending the HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis C (HCV) epidemics for everyone, everywhere. Since 1992, TAG has worked to ensure that scientific advances lead to real-world impact, especially for high-burdened communities and identities. Through rigorous policy analysis, community engagement, and advocacy for health equity and research funding, TAG fights for a future where all people can access lifesaving prevention, diagnostics, and treatment.

Learn more at www.treatmentactiongroup.org.

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SOURCE Treatment Action Group