science
White House Proposal Bars Federal Funds for Disparate-Impact Theories
The Office of Management and Budget issued a 412-page plan last month that would prohibit federal grants from promoting theories of disparate-impact liability. Health disparities researchers submitted nearly 200 comments warning the rule could block much of their work. The proposal has drawn thousands of public comments overall.
middleeasteye.netAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a 412-page proposal last month to overhaul federal grantmaking. Section 200.218 of the plan prohibits the use of federal funds to promote or support theories of disparate-impact liability. Health disparities researchers said the language could disqualify projects that compare health outcomes across groups with protected status.
Nancy Krieger, a social epidemiologist, submitted a comment stating that the rule would rule out understanding distributions of exposures, health outcomes, and causes of patterns. Nearly 200 public comments mention health disparities. Andrew Twinamatsiko, director of the Center for Health Policy and the Law at Georgetown Law, said the administration is adopting a colorblind view that ignores race and applying the same reasoning used against the Voting Rights Act to federal funding.
An OMB spokesperson said past grants had funded projects such as engaging Black sexual and gender minority youth social media influencers and addressing social determinants of health among racially diverse trans women in the Deep South under the guise of studying health disparities.
The spokesperson added that the new rule would bring accountability to the grantmaking process and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Many projects touching on health equity were terminated by the NIH in early 2025.
Faith Fletcher, a bioethicist at Baylor College of Medicine, said researchers are being told to remove the words disparities and social determinants of health from grants. Davena Longshore, CEO of the Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health, submitted a comment opposing the proposal and said it would affect communities already overlooked.
