ASA Submits Strong Formal Response to OMB Rule - Urges Protection of U.S. Biomedical Research

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has submitted formal comments urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to substantially improve its proposed revisions to the federal rules governing research grants and other financial assistance. ASA notes that the proposed rule risks introducing uncertainty, subjective decision-making, and funding constraints that could weaken the Nation’s leadership in biomedical research and slow the development of medical advances that benefit patients.

ASA emphasized that federal research policy should strengthen—not disrupt—the physicians, scientists, academic medical centers, and research infrastructure responsible for translating discovery into better care. Independent scientific peer review must remain the principal means of evaluating scientific merit, while grant decisions, suspensions, and terminations should be governed by clear, objective standards and meaningful procedural protections. ASA also cautioned against treating lower indirect-cost rates as a measure of greater value, noting that modern biomedical research depends on laboratories, clinical research offices, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, data integrity, and other infrastructure essential to protecting patients and producing reliable science.

ASA’s comments also highlight that research creates value only when discoveries reach physicians, investigators, and patients. Peer-reviewed publication and scientific meetings are not peripheral expenses; they are essential components of the research process. ASA’s journal, Anesthesiology, provides a leading forum for the rigorous review and publication of basic, translational, clinical, and health services research that informs practice and improves patient care. The ASA Annual Meeting—the world’s largest scientific and educational meeting devoted to anesthesiology—allows investigators to present new findings, receive critical feedback, build collaborations, and accelerate the translation of federally funded research into clinical practice.

ASA urged OMB to revise the proposed rule so that accountability reforms do not undermine scientific excellence, discourage physician-scientists, or make it harder for academic institutions to sustain long-term research. Federal policy should preserve a reliable pathway from laboratory discovery to peer-reviewed publication, scientific exchange, and bedside care. Protecting that pathway is essential to maintaining American leadership in medicine and delivering safer surgery, better pain treatment, stronger critical care, and improved outcomes for patients across every medical specialty.