# Federal Agencies Consider NASEM Debarment Review

A possible federal suspension and debarment review involving the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is raising questions about agency independence when pressure for a review comes from outside the usual agency-led process. No formal exclusion has been reported. For contractors and recipients of federal funding, the issue highlights how review processes and any resulting SAM.gov listing could affect eligibility for federal awards.

- Contractors and federal-funding recipients can check SAM.gov for changes to exclusion records; the signal reports no current formal exclusion of NASEM.
- Organizations affected by an agency inquiry should retain a detailed record of relevant actions and respond promptly.
- David Robbins of Jenner & Block noted that presidential comments can complicate the process when they appear to signal a conclusion.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 29, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. federal agencies
- United States Congress (Congress)
- System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

### Key Quotes
> It gets complicated when the president weighs in with an apparent conclusion or one that could be misread as an apparent conclusion
> — David Robbins, Partner at Jenner & Block

### Sources
- [
        A dispute involving the National Academies continues to test the suspension and debarment system - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/podcast/federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-podcast/a-dispute-involving-the-national-academies-continues-to-test-the-suspension-and-debarment-system) - Federal News Network
- [
        A dispute involving the National Academies continues to test the suspension and debarment system - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/litigation/2026/09/a-dispute-involving-the-national-academies-continues-to-test-the-suspension-and-debarment-system) - Federal News Network