Issue 19 (September 30)

Trump Administration Actions (all actions available here):

• Launching the Genesis Mission (11/24/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring (10/15/25)
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-Cutting Actions (9/23/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers (9/19/25)
• Memorandum: Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees (8/28/25)
• Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking (MORE INFORMATION) (8/7/25)
• Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions (MORE INFORMATION) (8/7/25)
• Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government (MORE INFORMATION) (7/23/25)
• Creating Schedule G in the Excepted Service (7/17/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Memorandum: Ensuring Accountability and Prioritizing Public Safety in Federal Hiring (7/7/25)
• Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission (7/3/25)
• Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University (6/4/25)
• Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats (6/4/25)
• Restoring Gold Standard Science (5/23/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Increasing Efficiency at the Office of the Federal Register (5/9/25)
• Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research (5/5/25)
• Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research (5/5/25)
• Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service (4/24/25)
• White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (4/23/25)
• Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education (4/23/25)
• PROPOSED RULE: Improving Performance, Accountability, and the Civil Service (4/23/25)
• Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities (4/23/25)
• Extension of Hiring Freeze (4/17/25) 
• Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History (3/27/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities (3/20/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy (3/14/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Additional Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (3/14/25)
• Implementing the President’s DOGE Cost Efficiency Initiative (2/26/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s DOGE Deregulatory Initiative (2/19/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Radical Transparency about Wasteful Spending (2/18/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (2/13/25)
• Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative (2/11/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Advancing United States Interests When Funding Nongovernmental Organizations (2/6/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling (1/29/25)
• President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (1/23/25)
• Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (1/23/25)
• Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (1/21/24) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (1/20/25)
• Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Trust to the Federal Government (1/20/25)
• Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (1/20/25)
• Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions within the Federal Workforce (1/20/25) – Reinstates Trump Administration’s 2020 EO creating a new Schedule F in the Federal Excepted Service 
• Withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO (1/20/25)
• Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (1/20/25) – Withdraws the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, among other actions.
• Hiring Freeze (1/20/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Return to In-Person Work (1/20/25) (MORE INFORMATION)
• Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship (1/20/25)
• Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (1/20/25) – Rescinds dozens of Biden Administration Executive Orders

Find COSSA’s full list of Trump’s Executive Actions and more information here or on the Social Science Space Tracker.

COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day will be taking place March 23-24, 2026 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.

Stay tuned for additional details in the coming weeks. Early bird registration will be here before you know it! Until then, mark your calendars and share this exciting opportunity with your colleagues.

We hope to see you in Washington, DC in March 2026!

Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day.

During these turbulent times, it is more important than ever that elected officials hear from their constituents. Members of the Congress were elected to represent the interests of you and your community; unfortunately, too few Americans utilize their right to engage with policymakers on the issues and concerns confronting their communities.

That’s why COSSA is excited to share its newest resource – COSSA’s At-Home Advocacy Guide!

This free resource contains information on how you can impact federal policy from anywhere by calling and emailing your Members of Congress, attending a Town Hall meeting in your community, or responding to organizational Action Alerts, among other activities.

Whether you are new to advocacy and looking to dip your toe in the policy process, or you’re already active and want new ideas, this guide is for you! We invite you to read it and share with others who want to engage in advocacy but may not know where to start.

COSSA has joined more than 160 national organizations in a letter to House and Senate appropriators expressing support for the work of the Joint Associations Group on Indirect Costs (JAG), specifically its efforts over the last several months to “develop a new, more transparent model for ensuring that institutions’ essential research costs are adequately supported.”

The letter asks appropriators to support these efforts by:

• Including appropriations bill language supporting the work of the JAG and the development and implementation of the FAIR model by the executive branch;
• Blocking any federal agency or OMB action to cap or otherwise change existing negotiated F&A rates until they have worked with the stakeholder community to develop a clear plan for implementation of a new system based on the FAIR model framework;
• Ensuring at least a two-year transition period for agencies and institutions to make the necessary changes to an alternative model; and
• Preserving continued support for F&A expenses at existing levels until the new model is fully implemented.

The letter remains open for additional signatures. 

As previously reported by COSSA, federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is set to expire tonight at midnight. It has been a tumultuous few weeks, with House Republicans passing a continuing resolution (CR) which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21. The bill later failed in the Senate by 44-48 vote with Democrats and Republican Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote for the House-passed CR.

Late last week, House and Senate Democrats put forward their own stopgap bill that would extend funding to October 31 with additional funding allocated for security, as included in the House-passed CR, as well as extensions for Affordable Care Act subsidies, reversals on Medicaid cuts enacted in the “big, beautiful bill,” and language to address funding cuts and pocket recissions. It would also restore funding for public broadcasting. The Democratic bill failed in the Senate in a 47-45 vote along party lines. It was not brought to the House floor.

On September 25, Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), were scheduled to meet with President Trump for negotiations, but the President abruptly cancelled the meeting, reportedly claiming Democrats were being unreasonable in their demands. In an unprecedented political maneuver, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also cancelled votes for September 29 and 30 and called for the Senate Democrats to pass the House-passed CR or risk a government shutdown. Further, President Trump announced that in the events of a shutdown, federal agencies would be directed to terminate employees that do not align with the Administration’s priorities (see related article).

On September 29, President Trump agreed to meet with top Congressional leaders, including Sen. Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Negotiations were largely unsuccessful and, following the meeting, President Trump released an AI-generated video mocking the Democratic leaders, worsening already strained tensions between the two parties. The Senate is scheduled to vote for a second time on the House-passed CR this evening, but unless significant concessions are made, it is unlikely Congress will reach any final solution before the end of the day, ushering the government into a shutdown. The longest government shutdown lasted thirty-five days in 2018-2019 under President Trump.

In the case of a government shutdown, several Federal Agencies’ operations would be temporarily shuttered. Unlike the government shutdown in 2019, no funding bills have been enacted, leaving the Administration unilateral authority over which agencies and activities are considered essential. In past years, the White House Office of Budget and Management (OMB) has posted contingency plans ahead of a potential shutdown, but these plans have instead been relocated to each agency’s individual website.

Stay tuned for COSSA’s continued coverage on the appropriations process.

On September 17, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee invited Dr. Susan Monarez, the recently terminated Director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to testify in front of the committee on Restoring Trust Through Radical Transparency: Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health. As previously reported by COSSA, Dr. Monarez was publicly terminated by the Trump Administration for allegedly refusing to pre-approve recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) after concerns that the committee was not properly reviewing research and data (read more in her op-ed for the Wall Street Journal). Dr. Monarez also claimed that she was directed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to fire career scientists, which she refused to do. However, when questioned about her termination during an earlier Senate Finance Committee hearing, Secretary Kennedy denied her claims and argued that it is “imperative to remove officials with conflicts of interest, catastrophically bad judgement, and political agendas” (see previous COSSA coverage). Due to the uncertainty surrounding her removal, Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) offered Dr. Monarez the opportunity to publicly dispute Secretary Kennedy. However, Chairman Cassidy made it clear that the hearing was intended to be the first-step in a long process of “uncovering the truth.” Dr. Monarez was joined by Deputy Director for Program and Science at the CDC, who resigned in protest over Dr. Monarez’s termination.

During the hearing, Dr. Monarez faced questioning from Republican lawmakers about her integrity and trustworthiness, steering their questions towards her actions following her termination, such as retaining attorneys that are, according to Senators Jim Banks (R-ID) and Ashley Moody (R-FL), “notorious for their anti-Trump activity.” Further, Sen. Moody raised concerns that Dr. Monarez had contacted Chairman Cassidy and the Committee in an attempt to undermine the President’s power, to which Chairman Cassidy disagreed and encouraged agency leaders to frequently communicate with the elected officials in Congress. Several Republican Senators accused Dr. Monarez of lying during her testimony, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) who claimed that there were recordings of the meetings between Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Monarez that proved his accusations. He later confirmed that these recordings did not actually exist. Finally, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) raised concerns about Secretary Kennedy instructing Dr. Monarez to fire career scientists, to which she confirmed that she was directed to “only work with the political appointees” and “not to speak or work with career scientists.” Dr. Monarez later confirmed that she was also prohibited from speaking directly to Senators under questioning from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

On the other side of the aisle, several Democratic lawmakers commended her for her commitment to science and transparency, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) who had been skeptical not of her qualifications but of her ability to stand against the Administration during her confirmation hearing in July. Further, Sen. Kaine spoke of a recent outbreak of measles in Virginia, highlighting how funding cuts to the CDC harm the ability of the agency to respond to these critical situations. Dr. Houry expanded on his statements, adding that 80 percent of CDC funding is distributed directly to states in order to address public health concerns in local communities, and raised concerns that these cuts will reduce the agency’s ability to respond to future outbreaks. In addition to the undermining of public confidence in the safety of vaccines—which has been propagated by the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy—these cuts could have detrimental consequences on U.S. public health.

Several Democratic lawmakers also offered Dr. Monarez the opportunity to detail the events leading up to her termination, including the August 8 shooting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta (see coverage here). When questioned about her fears for the agency moving forward by Sen. Murphy (D-CT), Dr. Monarez stated:

“I am very concerned that the further propagation of misleading information will undermine not just the safety and health of our children, but it will also exacerbate some of these tensions.”

Dr. Houry further spoke to the reluctance of CDC staff to include their names on papers and recommendations out of fear of political violence due to the spread of misinformation on the safety of vaccines.

Follow COSSA’s continued coverage on CDC here.

Potential Government Shutdown is Taken to New Levels 

All eyes are on Congress this week as lawmakers face a potential government shut down starting October 1 (see related article). Government shutdowns, depending on how long they last, can be incredibly disruptive and damaging to federal agencies, programs, and workers, not to mention Americans who rely on them. Last week, the White House threatened to impose additional pain on the federal workforce if Congress is unable to agree to a temporary funding measure.

In a recent email to agency heads obtained by Politico, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed agencies to identify federal programs and activities that would “no longer [be] statutorily required to be carried out” if government funding lapses and to consider additional reductions in force (RIFs), or layoffs, for employees in those programs. In other words, the White House has told Congress that if a government shutdown occurs, it will use the opportunity to identify additional federal programs to be terminated and layoff federal workers accordingly.

Under a government shutdown, non-essential federal works are furloughed without pay, but they return to work once the government reopens. This time, the White House has chosen to use the federal workforce, which has already experienced massive layoffs, as its bargaining chip with Congress. Lawmakers have until midnight tonight to avert a shutdown. 

On September 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued their annual memorandum to federal agencies outlining the Trump Administration’s research and development priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The memo is intended to inform the development of agencies’ FY 2027 budget requests.

The memo continues to prioritize critical and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. In addition, the Administration intends to focus on: “energy dominance,” including exploration of polar regions and oceans; national and economic security; health, including chronic diseases; and space exploration.

The memo further makes clear the Administration’s positions on particular research topics, stating: “Following years of unfocused Federal investments weighed down by woke ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, we are realigning the Federal R&D portfolio to serve its core purposes: driving economic growth and high-wage employment for all Americans, promoting high quality of life, and ensuring U.S. leadership in critical sectors to our national security.”

Elsewhere in the memo it states: “Funding programs may require reorganization to address changes in funding levels to focus on promising and high-value research. These programs should be consolidated and managed, as necessary, to focus research on efforts that produce meaningful outcomes.” This hints at the Administration’s ongoing interest in shaking up federal research programs to align with its priorities. 

On September 25, the Department of Education published a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback on redesigning the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The request follows the Trump Administration’s appointment of Dr. Amber Northern to reform the institute in May (see previous COSSA coverage). Included in the request is a list of suggested areas for comment, including how to:

• Improve timeliness, accuracy, and accessibility of statistics and research products;
• Better coordinate with state leaders and local communities to maximize efficiency;
• Strengthen partnerships with other federal agencies and state agencies;
• Improve mechanisms for dissemination;
• Modernize the peer review, grantmaking, and contracting processes; and more.

Comments should be submitted here by October 15. 

As previously reported by COSSA, the Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee (I-CSAC) met on September 18 to discuss several items that were scheduled to be reviewed by the federal advisory committee prior to its abrupt termination, including the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance System; Determining the Privacy Loss Budget for the IRS Use Case; and the Environmental Impacts Frame. Barbara Entwisle, who served as the Chair of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), began the meeting by emphasizing that the goal of the independent committee is to continue to “provide scientific expertise” and “constructive feedback” to ensure an accurate and timely 2030 Census. To this end, the Committee developed recommendations and shared public comments that were submitted to the committee ahead of the session, all of which are expected to be to be shared directly with the Census Bureau. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

Follow COSSA’s continued coverage on the Census here.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in collaboration with the Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN), the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS), and the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) hosted a webinar titled “Opportunities for Doing Social-Environmental Research with Little to No Funding.”

Following actions made by the Trump Administration to cut research funding and terminate grants, the webinar sought to equip researchers with creative ways to fund their research (see previous COSSA coverage). NASEM offered potential ways to cut down on costs, including utilizing secondary sources as well as meta-analysis. Furthermore, they highlighted local field studies and alternative sources of funding as ways to conduct federally underfunded research. The presentations also emphasized the value of collaboration within the scientific community.

A recording of the webinar is available here.

This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Anne Tighe.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) announced that they have opened the search for its next President. Applications and nominations are now invited, with an appointment anticipated in early 2026. SSRC is a COSSA member organization.

SSRC is seeking a social scientist with a record of scholarly, programmatic, and institutional innovation; broad intellectual interests; and the ability to connect and collaborate across disciplines, institutions, and geographies. The President will lead efforts to nurture new generations of social scientists, deepen inquiry, and bring necessary knowledge to bear on urgent public issues.

Learn more about the search process and how to apply on SSRC’s website.

The American Sociological Association (ASA) announced that it is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Annual Awards. ASA is a COSSA governing member organization.

Find out about all the award categories, including the new recognition for early career sociologists, the “Early Career Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship Award.”

The deadline for submissions is January 1, 2026. Learn more on the ASA Awards website.