A proposed overhaul of federal grant regulations would add an additional review layer involving political appointees, according to the Office of Management and Budget, with major implications for how education research is funded and governed. The change is targeted to take effect by Oct. 1. Education researchers and major sector groups say the draft would reshape what questions can be studied, warning that funding restrictions tied to “unlawful” DEI activities and limits on “disparate impact” studies could narrow evidence-building in areas like achievement differences across student groups. In letters submitted to OMB on July 13, the National Academy of Education (with 19 other organizations), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Knowledge Alliance argued the proposal should be withdrawn. They cited the risk that political considerations could dominate funding decisions, and that the rule could disrupt research already underway. The fight is centered on federal agencies that bankroll education research, including the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, and it comes as education research organizations defend a long-running federal evidence base underpinning initiatives such as the “science of reading.”