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IDWeek Call to Action: Tell Congress to protect public health and research funding

Posted by [email protected] on 10/20/2026 2:17 pm  /   Advocacy

Washington, D.C., update: Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds the government and blocks implementation of the White House Office of Management and Budget proposed rule on federal funding until Dec. 11. If Congress does not stop the OMB rule, it will prioritize political alignment over scientific merit in federal grantmaking; allow funding to be terminated at any time, for any reason; tightly restrict or prohibit use of grant funds for scientific conferences, professional memberships and publication; and prohibit grant funding for international collaboration, diversity/equity/inclusion, and anything that “denies the biological reality of sex or the sex binary.”   

Why this matters: When legislators return to the Capitol in November, they must enact legislation that provides 1) a long-term solution to block the OMB rule and any similar attempts to politicize federal grant review and 2) necessary funding in critical infectious diseases programs to support public health, research and access to care. 

What you can do: Urge your legislators to pass legislation by Dec. 11 that blocks implementation of the OMB rule permanently or at least through the end of fiscal year 2027 and provides needed funding for ID programs to support public health, research and access to care for FY 2027. 

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