# Congress must stop the politicization of peer review and American science

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/congress-must-stop-the-politicization-of-peer-review-and-american-science/
- Published: 2026-08-07T09:15:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo credit: National Cancer Institute via Unsplash. Opinion article by Carole LaBonne, the Erastus Otis Haven Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. The Hill – August 6, 2026. For generations, the U.S. has led the world in scientific discovery because federal research grants are judged primarily by scientists, not by politicians. That principle is now in jeopardy. The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a government-wide regulation that would fundamentally alter how federal grants are awarded. Buried in its sweeping rewrite of federal grant rules is a directive that peer review recommendations must remain merely “advisory” and must not be “routinely deferred to” by political appointees or their designees. […] Click here to view original web page at www.thehill.com Related articles: Senate Spending Deal Pauses Trump’s Funding Power Grab. It Might Be Too Late. – NOTUS Senate Spending Bill Would Delay OMB’s Federal Grants Overhaul, Amid Bipartisan Pushback – Insight Into Academia US move to overhaul science funding prompts some agreement and much doubt – Chemical & Engineering News Critics deride US administration’s ‘golden age of science’ report – Physics World How Trump’s “America First” Administration Could Shut U.S. Scientists Out of the Next Nobel-Worthy Discovery – ProPublica Curated by Theresa Wysocki Director of Art & Design See Full Bio