Comment on OMB-2026-0034-0001

I am Executive Director of Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket. We rely on grant funding from the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program in order to support our team leaders and administrative staff. We are a 501 c 3. The proposed revisions to grant funding opportunities will be severely detrimental to our continued existence and for others in the marine mammal stranding community. •Subordinating peer review-based recommendations to the opinions of political appointees weakens the quality and integrity of federally funded science. Political appointees are not skilled in identifying scientific need, but would scan for ideology that does not adhere to current political whims. A "policy priorities" test risks directing funds by political alignment rather than merit, thereby decreasing funding for work the value of which has been determined by objective need. •New review and compliance layers add burden on grantees, contrary to the rule's stated efficiency goals. These grant applications are burdensome enough, taking time and personnel away from the mission of the organization. •The threat of sudden termination of an active grant poses huge risk to livelihood, research, progress and can affect numerous other studies in process. In our case, it would shut down operations. We are a small team relying on grants from foundations and individual donations from the public who understand the importance of our work. We rescue protected marine mammals from life threatening human interaction, and severe and life threatening entanglements in marine debris, as well as stranded dolphins and whales. We provide valuable data to NOAA and Universities for research on potential threats to other animals and people, be it Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (which tends to arrive on our shores first), parasite infestations in marine mammals, cause of death for whales and other marine mammals including the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. The John H Prescott Grant is critical to the functioning of the entire Greater Atlantic Stranding Network and beyond. Restricting the availability of these funds through excess and unrelated screening, threat of termination, vague and political standards and other regulations will have devastating and long term effects on our marine ecosystem. Once gone, we cannot get it back. o