Politics
Public comment on OMB research funding rule removed from federal website
A public comment opposing a proposed White House regulation was taken down without explanation from regulations.gov.
The short version
- A public comment submitted by Magdeleine Bradford-Butcher opposing a proposed White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulation was removed from regulations.gov.
- The proposed OMB regulation would open federal science funding to greater political intervention, raising concerns among research advocates.
- Legal experts described the unexplained removal of the posted public comment as unusual and mysterious.
Key facts
- Magdeleine Bradford-Butcher submitted a public comment on regulations.gov opposing a proposed OMB regulation that would allow for more political intervention in federal science funding.[STAT]
- Bradford-Butcher's comment detailed how her daughter, who has cystic fibrosis, benefited from federally funded research and expressed concern that the new rule could disrupt ongoing studies.[STAT]
- The comment was publicly posted on the federal government's regulatory tracking website and subsequently removed by the OMB without explanation.[STAT]
What remains uncertain
- The reason for the OMB's removal of the comment remains unexplained, and the overall scope of comment removals on this proposal is not fully detailed.[STAT]