CHLP Joins Opposition to OMB Rule Politicizing Grant Funding
Nearly half a million largely critical public comments were submitted in response to a proposed federal rule that would radically reshape how grants and cooperative agreements are awarded and administered—reflecting a nationwide groundswell of opposition from organizations, advocates, researchers, and individuals across sectors.
CHLP joined that opposition earlier this week, submitting a comment demanding the full withdrawal of OMB’s proposed “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” (OMB-2026-0034-0001). CHLP’s letter warned that the rule would inject the administration’s political agenda into federal funding decisions, explicitly disfavoring work serving migrants and transgender people while prioritizing awards aligned with the “President’s policy priorities.”
The proposed rule would also subject applicants to vague and politically charged “risk assessments” based partly on their associations or organizational memberships. A new “pre-issuance review” process would further concentrate power among political appointees, sidelining experts qualified to evaluate scientific merit and community need. Other provisions could restrict recipients’ ability to conduct research, share findings, advocate for evidence-based policies, and implement effective solutions.
CHLP’s comment argues that these changes are part of a broader effort to withhold resources from Black, brown, immigrant, transgender, and other LGBTQ+ communities. For people living with and deeply affected by HIV, the consequences could include reduced access to essential services, diminished investment in community-led research, and greater exposure to HIV criminalization and other carceral responses.
CHLP also joined more than 70 organizations in signing a similar letter coordinated by the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP), demonstrating broad concern across the HIV community about the rule’s potentially devastating consequences.
