SPIE has joined more than 50 scientific societies in a letter to the United States Congress expressing concern about provisions in the August 7, 2025 Executive Order (EO) ‘Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking’. The societies urged congressional leaders to provide oversight to federal science agencies to ensure continued US leadership in scientific and medical research.
The letter highlights the longstanding role of the US federal grantmaking system in advancing research and innovation. While recognizing the value of oversight, it cautions against directives in the order that could politicize federally funded research and undermine merit-based peer-review systems.
Key concerns include the potential misuse of “termination for convenience” authority, inefficiencies caused by requiring written justifications for each grant fund drawdown, and uncertainties over how “repeat players” will be defined in the grant process. At the same time, the societies acknowledged the order’s stated goal of expanding access to a broader range of recipients.
The letter was sent to congressional leadership as well as committees overseeing federal science agencies. The full text, along with a list of signatories, is publicly available.
Click here to read the original press release.
