Latest from the White House (July 8)
Additional Guidance on “Gold Standard Science”
As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science. On June 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memorandum to federal agencies providing additional guidance on how to comply with the order. Federal agencies are directed to report to OSTP on steps taken to comply with the EO by August 22.
A primary criticism of the EO and accompanying guidance has less to do with the order itself—which focuses on reproducibility, transparency, unbiased peer review, and other common research tenets—and more to do with its calling for scientific integrity while the Trump Administration continues to systematically dismantle the federal scientific enterprise. Public conversation around the impacts of the EO continues, with strong opinions on either side. OSTP Director Michael Kratsios published an op-ed in Science in defense of Gold Standard Science, while others in the research community are sounding alarm bells about increased politicization of science, as witnessed these last six months with thousands of peer-reviewed grants having been canceled and federal science agencies restructured. Holden Thorp, Editor-in-Chief of Science, published his own piece last month calling on the scientific enterprise “to reaffirm its values and hold its members to them, irrespective of actions from a government entity in the United States or elsewhere.
Watch COSSA’s coverage for new developments.
NSF to Lose its HQ in Virginia
Employees of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Members of Congress alike were blindsided by the announcement last month that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be taking over the NSF building in Alexandria, VA in the coming months. NSF employees were notified of the change the morning the move was announced at a press conference. Members of Congress representing Virginia sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA), which oversees federal agency buildings, demanding answers to several questions, including whether NSF was consulted in this decision and details on what the move would mean for NSF. They asked for GSA’s response by July 11.
Additional coverage, including the memo sent to NSF staff, is available here. This is a developing story.
ICYMI: Federal Judge Restores NIH Grants
Last month, a federal judge ruled that actions taken by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to terminate approximately 800 grants were “arbitrary and capricious” and that funding must be immediately restored. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH’s parent department, says it is exploring filing an appeal and a stay order.
The list of restored grants is available in the court rulings here and here.