July 13, 2026 -- My name is Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D. and I am the founder of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, a group of 350 autism researchers who are concerned about protecting the future of autism science.  Over the past several decades autism research has enjoyed the full bipartisan support that allowed it to flourish.  Under the CARES Act, signed in December 2024, considerable funding for a broad range of autism research and services has been mandated.  We are now deeply concerned that the proposed OMB rule will significantly change the course of autism research and will have a disproportionately negative impact on early career scientists, many of whom are autistic or relatives of autistic people who are dedicating their careers to advancing knowledge and care for autistic people.

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Our primary concern is with provision 200.205, which has the potential to steer the direction of autism research toward political, ideological areas that have already been investigated and found wanting.  Removing the primacy of peer review in the process of evaluating grant applications opens up the real possibility that funding will be taken from the most promising new and productive directions for autism science to be misdirected toward supporting less qualified proposals that address theories about causes and novel treatments that have already been debunked.  We cannot afford to allow politics to contaminate the future of autism science.

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Our Coalition has several secondary concerns that will have a major impact on our scientists, especially those in the early stages of their careers who have the greatest potential to bring new ideas to fruition.  Specifically, provisions 200.432, 200.454 and 200.461 will impact researchers supported by federal funding to attend conferences they had not known about at the time they submitted their grant applications, subscribe to key professional societies and publications, and pay fees to publish their papers, as required by many journals.   For many autism scientists, there are no alternative ways to cover these costs that are critical for their professional development and advancement.  There is no good reason to deny funding for these activities that are at the heart of the research enterprise: they carry far greater harm than good for the future of autism research.

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Finally, our Coalition is strongly opposed to provisions 200.202, 200.220 and 200.340 that will directly limit areas of future research and terminate ongoing projects.  Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impact individuals and families around the world.  So much progress has been made through collaborations with scientists from across the globe.  Our major professional society is the International Society for Autism Research, which includes members from all continents.  Our annual meeting is held in different countries, and we explicitly foster connections among our members to develop new research programs that include scientists regardless of where they are located.  We have grave concerns that our priorities for the future of autism research go well beyond those determined by US politicians. International scientific collaborations are highly likely to benefit autistic people everywhere, including here in the US.  We have already witnessed the devastation brought about by terminating research grants.  Autism research centers were closed and careers ended without cause.  We cannot afford to lose more researchers or to face the future with the degree of uncertainty and fear that grant termination brings.

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We urge you remove all these dangerous provisions from the proposed OMB rule.