Comment from Charles Sackett

[200.205, 200.340] To Whom it May Concern: I am a professor in experimental atomic physics. I am writing in my personal capacity to oppose the proposed revisions to sections 200.205 and 200.340 that would undermine the integrity of federal grant review processes and federal science agencies' ability to identify and fund impactful research. I work in the area of quantum technology, which I guess would generally benefit from the proposed rules because this area aligns with current political priorities. I worry however that lower-quality research in my field would also end up being funded, which would be damaging to the field as a whole. Sudden termination of grants would make multi-year planning difficult or impossible, and would particularly impact my ability to commit to supporting a graduate student throughout their PhD degree. The new rule would explicitly lower the weight of scientific merit in the review process, in exchange for political considerations that would be far less likely to lead to beneficial results. Our current system evolved over many years and has positioned the United States at the forefront of research productivity. Damaging it now, at a time when other countries are challenging that dominance, would be horribly shortsighted and against our national interest.