Issue 23 (November 26)

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:

• December 5 will feature a discussion with the COSSA Staff on the results of the elections and their implications for the social and behavioral sciences as we head into the new year. RSVP here.
• December 17 will feature a discussion with Kei Koizumi about the future of social and behavioral science in evidence-based policymaking. RSVP here.

Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations.

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 written—typically in the spring—but the House Appropriations Committee released their LHHS bill in July without holding a single hearing (see COSSA’s analysis here). Despite the unusual sequence of events, Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) were interested in the NIH’s budget and investments, and how to restore trust in science.

Chairman Aderholt, having led efforts around NIH reform alongside Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in the House Energy and Commerce Committee (see previous COSSA coverage), expressed disappointment in the results of a request for information that proposed to collapse the NIH institutes and centers from 27 to 15, indicating that the research community was resistant to change. In response to his concerns, Dr. Bertagnolli reiterated the importance of having institutes for a broad range of diseases and illnesses, indicating that it provides representation for communities affected. Further, Bertagnolli emphasized that cooperation between the institutes for cross-cutting research is a priority for the agency. To this end, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) cited that “over 80% of Americans trust in basic science research,” and encouraged passing the final appropriations bills before the end of the year, indicating that she does not support reform of the NIH through the appropriations process.

Attention turned to the incoming Administration’s plans, including remarks from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), about the effects of dismissing 600 NIH employees and halting disease research, as indicated by President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kenney Jr. Bertagnolli underscored the value of the NIH’s workforce, not only in their knowledge of the medical disciplines but the industry, referring to their knowledge as “priceless” and indicating that the loss of staff would be detrimental to the agency. Further, when questioned about the Trump Administration’s intent to halt all infectious disease research as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she indicated that it would be harmful to the public and result in a great loss of life.

Finally, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) urged his colleagues to commit to holding more appropriations hearings for fiscal year (FY) 2026 following the lack of hearings held on the FY 2025 budget, including hearings with directors of individual NIH institutes and on topical issues, such as paylines for researchers. As for FY 2025, it remains unclear whether Congress will finish its work on the appropriations bills by the end of the year or extend the continuing resolution (CR) to March, which is being pushed by House Speaker Mike Johnson. Regardless, NIH is expected to be a topic of much discussion in the upcoming Administration and Congress.

A recording of the hearing can be found here. 

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 will remain with a Republican majority but the Senate will shift from Democratic to Republican-control. This could very well impact the final FY 2025 appropriations bills if a CR pushes the deadline to March.

While many uncertainties remain, here’s what we already know about the 119th Congress.

In the House, both caucuses have already held elections for leadership positions with the Republicans unanimously reelecting Mike Johnson (R-LA) as House Speaker and Democrats reconfirming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Republicans have elected John Thune (R-SD) as Senate Majority Leader, replacing Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who is stepping down from the position. Senate Democrats have yet to elect their Minority Leader, however, Charles Schumer (D-NY) currently serves as Majority Leader and would be the likely candidate.

Frank Lucas (R-OK) is departing from his position as Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee, leaving a vacancy (see related article). While it’s expected that Rep. Lucas will stay on as a committee member, rumors suggest that Brian Babin (R-TX) is a likely successor. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) is expected to remain the Ranking Member of the committee.

The House Appropriations Committee is not expected to see major changes with Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) expected to remain in their roles. Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are also expected to keep in their respective roles on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Subcommittee. Hal Rogers (R-KY) is expected to keep his chairmanship of the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Subcommittee, but the loss of Ranking Member Matt Cartwright (D-PA) leaves a vacancy on the Democratic side that is likely to pass to Grace Meng (D-NY).

In the Senate, there is unlikely to be any leadership changes in the Senate Appropriations Committee beyond the flip to a Republican majority. Jerry Moran (R-KS) is expected to chair the CJS Subcommittee and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) will move to Ranking Member. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) will move to Chair of the LHHS Subcommittee and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to Ranking Member. For the full Senate Appropriations Committee, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) will swap positions to Chair and Ranking Member, respectively.

Official committee assignments are often made in the months following the beginning of the new session. Join COSSA on December 5 at 2:00pm EST for our Post-Election Headlines webinar to discuss the election results and their effect on the social and behavioral science research community.

On November 14, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced an investigation into the Biden-Harris Administration’s 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 “executive agency of future presidential administrations” through the Biden-Harris Administration’s 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 the EPA and HHS, Comer requested information on the agencies’ development of scientific integrity councils, including the criteria for selecting members and the duties and authorities of the committee, as well as the status of scientific complaints filed against each agency and all internal and external communications regarding scientific integrity. This investigation comes as the House and Senate prepare for Republican-control chambers under the Trump Administration in 2025.

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 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, “Our work explores how a child’s environment shapes their life and the drivers of variance in their outcomes across individual, socioeconomic, and other characteristics.”

Interested in joining COSSA? Find more information on the COSSA website. COSSA’s full membership list can be found here.

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.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is seeking applicants for the Rachel Tanur Memorial Prize for Visual Sociology. The prize recognizes students in the social sciences who incorporate visual analysis in their work and encourages students to work with photography as a visual medium in their study and understanding of social phenomena.

The contest is open worldwide to undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences. Students must be enrolled in their undergraduate or graduate program at the time of application. The deadline for applications is February 4, 2025.

Learn more about the prize and the application process here. SSRC is a COSSA member organization.