Volume 45 (2026)
Congress Returns from Two-Week; Appropriations Front and Center
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress closed out 2025 with a continuing resolution (CR) that ended a historic 43-day government shutdown and punted the appropriations deadline for fiscal year (FY) 2026 to January 31. While there were rumors of a potential second year-long CR for FY 2026, Congress returned from their two-week recess with agreements on final funding levels for several remaining bills. Last week, House and Senate leaders released a three-bill package that includes the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) billâwhich provides funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Institute…
ICYMI: House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Research Security
On December 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33. Witnesses included Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation (NSF); Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined by House SST Chairman Brian…
Congressional Shake-Ups in the New Year
Following a year of unexpected federal workforce reductions, budget cuts and grant cancellations, and political uncertainty, lawmakers have returned for the second session of the 119th Congress with the 2026 midterm elections looming this November. Several Members of Congress have unexpectedly resigned, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) following a public fall-out with President Trump in 2025. Other members have announced their retirement at the end of the term, including Senators Thomas Tillis (R-NC) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who both have publicly opposed the Trump Administration. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has served in Congress for 39 years and made…
CRS Reports Explain Recent Changes to NIH Grantmaking
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently released reports explaining some of the notable changes in grants policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CRS is a component of the Library of Congress and is required by law to provide Members of Congress and staff with timely, confidential, and nonpartisan research and analysis on issues of national policy, as requested. Reports do not provide policy recommendations, but instead, ensure that Members of Congress are given the best possible information on which they can base policy decisions. While directed at Congress, many CRS reports are publicly available and can serve as…
Latest from the White House (January 13)
In December, the White House released the Presidentâs Management Agenda (PMA). Administrations have been issuing PMAs since the George W. Bush presidency in 2001. The agendas represent the Presidentâs strategy for improving the management and performance of the federal government by identifying specific goals and metrics. Its signature feature has been a scorecard that tracks progress by each federal agency across several measures, such as human capital or budget performance. Each Administration puts their own spin on the PMA; however, they have traditionally built off their predecessorâs agendas to ensure continuity in government improvement. However, the Trump Administrationâs PMA released last month reads…
ICYMI: New Executive Order Takes Aim at State AI Laws
On December 11, the White House issued its latest Executive Order (EO) related to artificial intelligence (AI), Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. The order states its aim to allow companies to innovate by eliminating âcumbersome regulationâ at the federal level through the establishment of a âminimally burdensome national policy framework for AI.â Until national standards governing AI can be established, the EO directs the Attorney General to form an âAI Litigation Task Forceâ responsible for identifying and challenging state laws that appear inconsistent with the federal policy. Through the evaluation the Task Force will be looking for state laws…
NSF Seeks Input on New Tech Labs InitiativeâDue January 20
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating âpractical research with real-world applications.â Tech Labs will support research, development and innovation (RDI) teams âfocused on overcoming persistent barriers to the commercialization of emerging technologies.â According to the announcement, these teams âwill focus on technical challenges and bottlenecks that traditional university and industry labs cannot easily solve on their own.â NSF is seeking public input through a request for information. Comments are due January 20. In addition, NSF is hosting an informational webinar on January 14 (register here).
National Science Board Releases Anticipated Merit Review Report
As previously reported, the National Science Board (NSB), which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), created a Commission on Merit Review in 2023 to take a fresh look at NSFâs current merit review criteria and make recommendations for potential improvement or modernization. After several delays, the Commission released its report on December 17. The report, Merit Review for a Changing Landscape, contains an in-depth evaluation of NSFâs longstanding review process and makes several recommendations, including: The release of the NSB report comes on the heels of new Merit Review rules that took effect December 15, 2025. Among the changes announced…
PAA Holds Congressional Briefing on U.S. Fertility Trends
On December 10, the Population Association of America (PAA), a COSSA governing member, and the Association of Population Centers (APC) hosted a Congressional briefing, âU.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for U.S. Families.â The in-person event drew interest from almost 100 registrants representing the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, National Institutes of Health, Government Accountability Office, National Academies of Science, Congressional Research Service, a range of scientific and health stakeholder organizations, and the media. The event was moderated by Dr. Jennifer Sciubba, President and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, and featured presentations by Dr. Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Director…