Volume 43 (2024)
A Word from COSSA
Dear Friends: This is the last COSSA Washington Update of 2024, but it certainly is not the end of our work for the year. As I write, our team is busily preparing for what everyone expects will be a challenging year ahead for policymaking. We are headed into uncertain terrain with the return of the Trump Administration come January 20 and a new Congress with margins tighter than we have seen in a long time. Last week, COSSA hosted a webinar for our members previewing some of the expected actions of the next Congress and Administration and outlining many of the unknowns…
Social Science Advocacy Day 2025 Registration is Open!
Early bird registration for COSSAās annual Social Science Advocacy Day is officially OPEN! The event will be taking place March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Take advantage of early bird pricing and register here. The stakes for research funding have never been higher as we enter a particularly challenging political and budgetary environment. Social Science Advocacy Day is a must for all stakeholders who care about the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research should be used to inform sound public policy. Advocacy Day is open to anyone affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university. Not…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue December 17
It’s the final Headlines of the year! Last Spring, the White House released a seminal report detailing the important contributions the social and behavioral sciences make to addressing some of the nationās most pressing challenges and promoting better use of social and behavioral science research in evidence-based policymaking across the federal government. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking in May following two years of work by social and behavioral science experts from across federal agencies and departments. Join COSSA on December 17 for…
Meet COSSAās Fall Policy Intern: Paige Kirkham!
Paige Kirkham started as COSSAās fall policy intern in September. Before heading back to class later this month, she provided some reflections from her time at COSSA. How did you learn about COSSA and the opportunity to serve as a policy intern for the fall? I am a student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was given the opportunity to come to Washington, DC through a program called āWisconsin in Washingtonā in which the university brings a group of about twenty student-interns to DC for a semester. The coordinators of this program provide us with a list of opportunities to apply…
House Oversight Hosts Census Bureau Director Rob Santos
On December 5, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on theĀ Oversight of the U.S. Census BureauĀ with Director Rob Santos as the witness. During his opening remarks, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) raised concerns over the 2020 Census and the overcount and undercount of different states, suggesting that undercounting was found in predominately Republican states while overcounting was found in predominately Democratic states. In his response, Santos indicated that the unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated overcounts and undercounts. Further, he clarified that the Census Bureau and subsequent surveys are non-partisan. Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (R-MD) pointed to…
President-Elect Trump Nominates Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to Lead NIH
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of health policy at Stanford University, as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Notably, Bhattacharya was a critic of the governmentās handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and was the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Murthy v. Missouri, where he argued that he was āunfairly censoredā on social media by the government for his views on the issue. While the case gained national attention, it was ultimately unsuccessful in a 6-3 ruling. About the nomination, Trump said, āDr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr….
Trump Names David Sacks as AI Czar/PCAST Head
On December 4, President-elect Trump announced his plan to appoint tech venture capitalist and PayPal cofounderĀ David SacksĀ to a new āAI czarā position and advisor on cryptocurrency in the next Administration. The announcement also states that Sacks will lead the Presidentās Council of Advisors on Science and TechnologyĀ (PCAST). While little more detail is known about Trumpās plan for PCAST, the naming of Sacks as chair signals that the council will be maintained in Trumpās second term. This is notable particularly because during Trumpās first term, PCAST was not reconstituted until almost three years into his term. This is a developing story.
OSTPās CoSTEM Releases Five-Year Federal Strategic Plan Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policyās (OSTP) National Science and Technology Councilās (NSTC) Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CoSTEM) has released the Federal Strategic Plan Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent. The five-year plan is intended to promote STEM education and careers, particularly in coordination with multi-sector collaborators throughout the STEM ecosystem and has identified three principles to achieve this goal, including expanding opportunity, developing partnerships and the ecosystem, and fostering transparency and accountability. Within these principles, OSTP has identified five pillars including STEM engagement; STEM teaching and learning; STEM workforce; STEM research and innovation capacity; and…
NSF Releases NAIRR Dear Colleague Letter for AI Research and Education
On November 15, the National Science Foundationās (NSF) National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot released a Dear Colleague letter seeking datasets to āenable a broader set of researchers and educationsā in artificial intelligence (AI) and foster the development of AI skills in educational environments (see previous COSSA coverage here). The deadline to submit datasets is February 7 and can be submitted here. Full details about the submission criteria and evaluation can be found here.
Currently Reading: CPI’s Census Accuracy Guides
The Center on Poverty and Inequality (CPI) at Georgetown Law released aĀ series of guidesĀ designed for civil rights organizations, advocates, and policymakers. The Census Accuracy series includes: This series is intended to help stakeholders and organizations advocate for necessary research and reforms to ensure every community is accurately counted, promote robust funding for the census by emphasizing the need for accurate data to help ensure fair political representation and equitable resource distribution, and implement measures to mitigate the impact of census inaccuracies. Read the guides here.
Social Science Advocacy Day 2025 News
COSSAās annual Social Science Advocacy Day will be taking place March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC! This signature, members-only event brings together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country to meet with their elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Early bird registration is officially OPEN! Register now and take advantage of our early bird rates (these won’t last long). Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day and share with your colleagues.
Editor’s Note: Update Returning on January 7
This is our final issue of the COSSA Washington Update for 2024. Late-breaking news and analysis will be shared with members subscribed to our members-only emails. We will resume our ongoing coverage of policy developments affecting the social and behavioral sciences on January 7. The COSSA team wishes all our readers a happy and healthy holiday season.
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue December 5
Join COSSA on December 5 for an informal discussion on the results of the 2024 national elections and their implications for the social and behavioral sciences as we head into the new year. Upcoming Webinars: Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations.
House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Holds NIH Budget Hearing
On November 19, the House Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee invited Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the Hill for a budget hearing. Normally, these hearings are scheduled prior to the appropriations bills being writtenātypically in the springābut the House Appropriations Committee released their LHHS bill in July without holding a single hearing (see COSSAās analysis here). Despite the unusual sequence of events, Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) were interested in the NIHās budget and investments, and how to restore trust in science. Chairman Aderholt,…
FY 2025 Hangs in the Balance as Congress Begins Preparations for the 119th Session
As the year nears its end, Congress is looking to pass either the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills by December 20 or a continuing resolution (CR) that extends the deadline to March. As previously reported by COSSA, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated interest in the latter despite contention from Democrats and some Republicans advocating to complete the FY 2025 appropriations process so the new Congress can focus its attention on the FY 2026 appropriations process. The 119th Congress, which will be sworn in on January 3, will look quite a bit different from the outgoing Congress. The House…
House Oversight Probes Biden-Harris Administrationās Scientific Integrity Committees
On November 14, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY)Ā announcedĀ an investigation into the Biden-Harris Administrationās scientific integrity committees, including for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Comer cited concerns of interference of the āexecutive agency of future presidential administrationsā through the Biden-Harris Administrationās Presidential Memorandum directing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a Task Force on Scientific Integrity and federal agencies to produce scientific integrity reports (see previous COSSA coverage here). In letters sent to theĀ EPAĀ andĀ HHS, Comer requested information on the…
CNSF Celebrates Science Committee Chairman Lucasās Service
On October 19, theĀ Coalition for the National Science FundingĀ (CNSF), of which COSSA is a member, celebrated Representative Frank Lucasās (R-OK) service to the scientific community as Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. With remarks from Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Tom Kean (R-NJ), and other members of Congress, CNSF applauded the bipartisan effort of the Committee under Chairman Lucasās leadership. Image: Representative Frank Lucas at CNSF Celebration (Credit: CNSF X Account)
NASEM Seeking Experts for Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has put out a call for experts to serve on the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication which seeks to engage all science communities in an equitable and evidence-based way. The Board of Science Education (BOSE) is looking for a diverse group of 4-5 people to serve on the committee with expertise in health/science communications, artificial intelligence (AI), psychology, sociology, and more. The announcement can be found here and the deadline to submit nominees is November 29. This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Paige Kirkham.
COSSA Welcomes Child Trends as Newest Member!
COSSA is pleased to welcome Child Trends as its newest member! Child Trends is an independent research organization focused on improving life for children, youth, and families. According to Child Trends, āOur work explores how a childās environment shapes their life and the drivers of variance in their outcomes across individual, socioeconomic, and other characteristics.ā Interested in joining COSSA? Find more information on the COSSA website. COSSAās full membership list can be found here.
AERA Seeks Executive Director
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has begun the search for their new Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that the organization contributes to building capacity for its members, fosters community and collective opportunities for collaboration, and supports the growth of a diverse and engaged membership. The Executive Director is also responsible for the fiscal well-being, financial management, and professional integrity of the association. Learn more about the description and specifications here. AERA is a COSSA governing member organization.