WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 15, 2026) – United for Cures, a collaborative network of patient advocacy organizations, today released new polling data that shows strong bipartisan opposition to giving political appointees the final authority to award or cancel medical research grants, which was proposed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in a rulemaking earlier this year. Voters also strongly support protecting federal medical research funding and ensuring America remains the global leader in medical innovation.

Public Opinion Strategies conducted the poll for United for Cures Action between September 30 and October 8, surveying 1,200 registered voters in three Senate battleground states: Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio.

Key findings include:

• Three in four voters (76%) oppose allowing any President – Democrat or Republican, now or in the future – and their political appointees to have the final word on canceling or awarding medical research grants.

• 92% of voters express concern about the proposed Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule that could allow federally funded clinical trials to be canceled at any time. 66% of voters say they are very concerned.

• 94% of voters say it is important for the federal government to fund medical research in the U.S.

• 9 in 10 voters (90%) believe federal medical research funding meaningfully impacts the development of breakthrough cures and treatments.

“Families all across the country overwhelmingly agree that federal medical research is essential to the development of treatments and cures, and they understand that OMB’s proposed change will jeopardize future breakthroughs,” said Erika Sward, Executive Director of United for Cures. “Giving political appointees the authority to cancel research grants and clinical trials at any time, for any reason, will put much-needed breakthroughs further away from those who need them the most.”

In May, the White House Office of Management and Budget proposed changing how federal grants across 42 federal departments and agencies are handled. Currently, federal medical research grant applications undergo independent scientific merit-based review, with final funding decisions made by the directors of the respective research institutes and centers, such as the National Cancer Institute. Under the new proposal, political appointees would have to approve grants to state and local governments, non-profit organizations such as hospitals, and colleges and universities for medical research, and they could cancel them at any time.

“What stands out in these findings is just how widespread opposition to this proposal is,” said Jarrett Lewis, Partner at Public Opinion Strategies. “Three in four voters in Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio oppose giving political appointees the final say over federal research grants. At a time when Americans are divided on so many issues, there is clear agreement that medical research decisions should not be driven by politics.”

Sward continued, “Medical research and clinical trials can take years to complete. Researchers, institutions, and patients need certainty that the rules governing that work will remain stable and predictable for the long term. Protecting medical research should be a bipartisan priority in Washington. Congress took an important step by pausing the OMB rule from taking effect until December 11. Now the American people need their elected officials to build on this bipartisan progress by urging the Administration to withdraw the proposed rule entirely and taking concrete action to protect a stable, predictable, evidence-driven research environment.”

Read the full memo here.