119th Congressional Committee Assignments and Presidential Nomination Hearings Begin
As previously reported by COSSA, the 119th Congress was sworn in early January and has since begun announcing committee assignments, including key committees for the social and behavioral science research community. This includes the House Science and Technology Committee, which has appointed Representative Brian Babin (R-TX) as Chairman, replacing Frank Lucas (R-OK) (see previous COSSA coverage). Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will remain in her role as expected.
On the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) will remain in his role, as will Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). On January 15, Chairman Cole released the Republican roster while Ranking Member DeLauro released the Democratic roster for the appropriations subcommittees. Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) on the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, which funds the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, and Census Bureau, among other agencies, will remain in his role while Grace Meng (D-NY) was appointed Ranking Member. On the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Subcommittee, which funds the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and several other agencies of interest to the science community, Chairman Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member DeLauro (D-CT) will remain in their respective roles. House Republicans have also begun working on legislative priorities, including discussions of extending the debt ceiling and drafting legislation to reform immigration policies.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate has started holding confirmation hearings for the incoming Trump Administration’s Cabinet, including hearings for the nominees of Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who was sworn in January 21, and Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. As the Republican-controlled Senate seeks to confirm the Trump Administration’s nominations quickly, it is likely that we will continue to see hearings scheduled for nominations that are important to the social and behavioral science community in the coming weeks (see previous COSSA coverage).
Stay tuned to COSSA’s coverage for all the details as the new Administration and Congress takes shape over the coming weeks.