Advocacy Alert – June 8, 2026

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Proposed OMB Rule Impacting Grants
• Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum
• Appropriations Updates: House Reveals Draft Funding Levels

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Proposed OMB Rule Impacting Grants

On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a proposed rule that would have negative impacts on federal grants across all agencies. The proposed rule is 400 pages long, and we are still reviewing the details and implications.

One of the biggest concerns is the requirement that political appointees review all award proposals, while peer review is relegated to an advisory role.

• The proposed rule supersedes enacted laws, charters, and intents of Congress.
• Any active grant can be cancelled by a political appointee with no chance of appeal.
• Across the government, political appointees will review all award proposals to ensure they align with “national interests” and Presidential policy priorities. This will likely impact anything deemed DEI.

Next steps: Public comments are now being accepted through July 13, 2026 at regulations.gov. AAM will be submitting comments and is consulting with our counterparts to determine best next steps as a collective nonprofit sector. We will follow up with additional analysis and guidance in the coming weeks. If you’re interested and able to submit a public comment to the proposed rule, you can do so at regulations.gov.

Advocacy Tip of the Month
Submitting Comments to a Federal Proposed Rule: If you decide to submit a comment to a Federal Proposed Rule, make sure your comments are specific about your concerns and provide insights on how the rule impacts you/your organization. Public comments on proposed rules are more about quality over quantity. Provide impact data if you have it. Public comments on proposed rules are more about quality over quantity. The comments should be unique. The comments are made public but you can submit comments with your name, on behalf of an organization, or anonymously. For additional tips, see the “How You Can Effectively Participate in the Regulatory Process Through Public Comment” document published on regulations.gov.

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Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum

Invite one or more of your members of Congress to your museum in the month of August. Members of Congress are usually in their home districts for most of August to meet with constituents, visit local businesses, and attend local events. Make sure your museum is on their August schedule!

Inviting your members of Congress to visit your museum or company during this period is one of the best ways to show representatives firsthand the important work that you do. Some examples of a visit include giving them a behind the scenes tour, touring a new exhibit, or having them observe one of your education programs in action. This is also a great opportunity to show them how your museum used any federal funding you received or how it could use federal funding in the future.

Sign up for Invite Congress 2026 to get access to:

• A detailed Invite Congress How-To Guide
• A dedicated community in Museum Junction
• A special Invite Congress webinar
• AAM staff office hours to ask any questions

Sign-up is free. Please only sign up if your museum is interested in participating in Invite Congress 2026.

Note: Museums and companies are responsible for writing and submitting the invites to their members of Congress. AAM is helping to provide the how-to materials, contact information, guidance, and community.

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Appropriations Updates: House Reveals Draft Funding Levels

The House Appropriations Committee has begun considering its versions of the FY27 Appropriations Bills.

In May, the committee released its version of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill (Interior), which proposes a 35% cut to both National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The Interior Bill passed out of Committee but has not yet been brought to the House floor for a vote.

On Friday, the committee released its version of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill, which proposes funding the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) at current levels. IMLS is the only cultural agency not proposed to get a cut in the House versions of the appropriations bills.

Additionally, the report accompanying the LHHS Bill, includes key language:
“The Committee directs the Institute of Museum and Library Services to ensure transparency in the selection and award of competitive grants administered through the Office of Museum Services. The Committee further notes funds provided under this Act shall be obligated and expended in a manner consistent with the Institute’s statutory authorities and the intent of Congress.” AAM worked with Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Museum Caucus, to get the language added to the report. The LHHS Bill will be considered on June 9 in the full Committee.

Please note, this is just the House proposed funding levels. The Senate has not released its version of the appropriations bills. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to write to your members of Congress asking them to adequately fund these agencies.

Want to learn more about the Appropriations process? Check out AAM’s March 2026 advocacy webinar “Appropriations 101: The Process of Funding the Federal Government”

AAM Advocacy: In addition to the Appropriations testimony (IMLS, NEA, NEH, etc.) and advocacy efforts mentioned in previous Advocacy Alerts, below are a few of the additional efforts in the last few weeks:

• Coalition written testimony on STEM Funding
• Coalition letter in support of IMLS funding