Executive Branch News
CDC Director Fired After Clash with HHS Secretary Kennedy Over Vaccines
On August 28, Director Susan Monarez was fired by the Trump Administration. Monarez, who was confirmed to the role in July after serving as Acting Director since January, came under scrutiny by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (see previous COSSA coverage). The New York Times reported that she clashed with Secretary Kennedy over vaccine policy, and her removal was later confirmed by the agency in a social media post. At least three other CDC officials have resigned following her termination. A statement published on Twitter by Monarez’s lawyers claimed the dismissal was illegal and politically motivated, stating: “First it was independent advisory…
ICYMI: Trump Nominates E.J. Antoni for BLS Commissioner
President Trump has nominated E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after abruptly firing and baselessly accusing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of deliberately reporting false numbers in the latest Employment Situation report (see previous COSSA coverage). Antoni comes from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, where he served as a Chief Economist and contributed to Project 2025. He holds a master’s and PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University. The Senate Health, Education, and Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) is rumored to hold a confirmation hearing for Antoni sometime this month. While the role does require Senate confirmation, it’s…
Latest from the White House (August 5)
Temporary Pause in NIH Funding Released After Chaotic Few Hours On July 29, the Washington Post reported on a temporary pause on the release of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, which was later lifted (see related article above). In a budget document authored by the White House Office of Management and Budget to NIH, the agency was given its “full-year apportionment” of funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025—which ends September 30. However, the document included a footnote that appeared to limit how the money could be spent, including on research grants. Democratic lawmakers were quick to respond, with statements issued by Sen….
Trump Fires BLS Commissioner After Accusing Her of Falsifying Data
On August 1, President Trump abruptly fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after baselessly accusing her of deliberately reporting false numbers in the Employment Situation report released that morning. The White House released an accompanying statement in which the Administration accused McEntarfer of having a “lengthy history of inaccuracies” that harmed the public’s trust in the agency. This unprecedented removal of a Congressionally-approved agency head greatly undermines the credibility of the federal economic statistical enterprise, which has been the gold standard for U.S. labor data collection for almost 150 years. COSSA joins the Friends of the Bureau of…
Federal Employees Continue to Speak Up
Last month, employees from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA were the latest to publicly express concern about the Trump Administration’s actions at their respective agencies. In a July 21 letter to House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), NSF employees under the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 outlined eight “categories of harm” being inflicted by the Trump Administration, including staff and grant terminations, massive budget cuts, and the unannounced move from the NSF headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The letter asks the Science Committee to: (1) shield NSF employees from “politically motivated” firings; (2) end the illegal impoundment of appropriated…
Trump Administration Unveils AI Action Plan
On July 23, the Trump Administration unveiled Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan, which outlines future federal policy actions designed to ensure the U.S. is a leader in global Artificial Intelligence (AI) development across scientific, practical, and creative uses. The plan is divided into three pillars—Accelerating AI Innovation, Building American AI Infrastructure, and Leading in International Diplomacy and Security—with various sub-goals, including exporting American AI models, deregulating data center construction and private AI development, increasing the use of AI in the government, and cementing AI skill development as a core part of education and workforce training. The report also details plans…
Latest from the White House (July 22)
President Trump Establishes New “Schedule G” Federal Worker Classification On July 17, President Trump issued an executive order (EO), Creating Schedule G in the Excepted Service, which seeks to create a new employee classification within the federal workforce. This effort comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s addition of a new “Schedule Policy/Career” classification, making it easier to terminate certain career (or non-political) federal employees whose positions are “policy-influencing” (see previous coverage). According to a White House fact sheet: “Creating Schedule G fills [a] gap and facilitates appointments of non-career federal employees who will serve temporarily and implement the policy…
ICYMI: NIH Implements Public Access Policy
On July 1, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopted their new Public Access Policy in response to the August 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The memorandum requires federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications, resulting from federal funding, freely available to the public immediately following publication (see previous COSSA coverage). Manuscripts published after July 1 will be required to follow the new guidelines. NIH has developed a website to help researchers with the transition process.
Mark Calabria Appointed as New Chief Statistician
On July 10, Dr. Mark Calabria was appointed as the new Chief Statistician at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), replacing Dr. Karin Orvis. Calabria currently serves as the Associate Director for Treasury, Housing, and Commerce, a role he will continue in during his tenure as Chief Statistician (see White House announcement). Before his appointment, Calabria was a Senior Advisor at the Cato Institute, and during the first term of the Trump Administration, Calabria served as the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). He also previously served as the Chief Economist to Vice President Mike Pence. Orvis,…
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…
NIH Suspends Gain of Function Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a notice to inform the biomedical research community of a termination of funding for gain-of-function research outside of the U.S. and a suspension of funding for any other projects or programs relating to gain-of-function research. Gain-of-function research has been a point of contention for many Congressional Republicans since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the research (see previous COSSA coverage). The notice, which was prompted by a guidance to NIH by the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), is in-line with the Administration’s Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research,…
Dr. Matthew Soldner Appointed Acting Commissioner of NCES
On July 7, the Department of Education announced that Dr. Matthew Soldner will serve as Acting Commissioner of the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical arm of the agency that develops key surveys such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). He is also currently serving as the Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Soldner previously served as IES’s Commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. He will replace Dr. Peggy Carr who was abruptly placed on administrative leave earlier this year…
RFI Opportunity: NSF TIP Directorate Technology Areas, Due 7/21
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input into its current list of “key technology focus areas” to guide the work of the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate. Comments are due by July 21, 2025. The TIP Directorate was created in 2022 to support “use-inspired” research with the goal of “fostering innovation and technology ecosystems, establishing translation pathways, and partnering across sectors to engage the nation’s diverse talent.” Included in its authorizing legislation was a list of ten initial key technology focus areas, set by Congress, that the Directorate was tasked to address in its first three years. These included: artificial intelligence and machine learning; high…
EPA Employees Stand Up to Leadership
Following up on the Bethesda Declaration signed by employees from the National Institutes of Health in June, more than 600 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have signed a Declaration of Dissent addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. In it, employees raise five primary concerns about actions taken by EPA leadership or the Trump Administration, including: (1) undermining public trust, (2) ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters, (3) reversing EPA’s progress in America’s most vulnerable communities, (4) dismantling the Office of Research and Development, and (5) promoting a culture of fear, forcing staff to choose between their livelihood and well-being. Additional details are…
Latest from the White House (June 24)
‘Forward Funding’ by NIH the New Norm? As COSSA has been reporting, the Trump Administration released details of its fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget proposal last month (see related article), which not only includes major funding reductions for federal science agencies, but also major shifts in policy. One such shift is how research grants would be funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to the NIH budget request, the agency plans to “continue the FY 2025 policy of reserving half of NIH funding allocated toward competing research project grant (RPG) awards for awards that fully fund their outyear commitments…
NIH Employees Outline Concerns in ‘Bethesda Declaration’
On June 9, more than 340 scientists and staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement criticizing their agency’s leadership for politicizing research. The “Bethesda Declaration,” which as of today includes 484 signatories, urges NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and other leaders to reverse course on budget reductions, workforce terminations, elimination of research related to DEI, undermining of the peer review process, and instituting a blanket 15 percent indirect cost rate, among others. It is exceptionally rare for federally employees to publicly protest and criticize their own agency. In response, an open letter in support of the Bethesda Declaration has…
Kennedy Fires Then Appoints New Members Vaccine Committee
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismissed all 17 members of the HHS Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal panel that makes vaccine policy recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The committee was formed in 1964 and has largely been comprised of experts in medicine, public health, and immunology. Following the abrupt decision, Secretary Kennedy announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) the appointment of 8 new members to the committee, including Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD; Martin Kulldorff, MD, PhD; Retsef Levi, PhD; Robert W….
Latest from the White House (June 10)
President’s Budget for Next Year would Decimate Federal Science Funding On May 30, the Trump Administration began releasing additional details of its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2026, which begins on October 1. [Note: The FY 2026 budget request is different from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that is working its way through Congress (see COSSA’s coverage for clarification)]. While the entire budget is not yet available for certain federal agencies, the details that are available include massive cuts to agency budgets and major structural reorganizations. As always, COSSA is producing an in-depth analysis of the President’s FY 2026 budget request. Until then, a few…
Trump Science Advisor Outlines Science Vision
On May 19, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) hosted a conversation with Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). A recording is available here. A discussion with NAS President Marcia McNutt followed Kratsios’ remarks. Kratsios expressed strong opinions about the current state of the U.S. scientific enterprise, stating, “To empower America’s researchers to achieve groundbreaking discoveries and to reinvigorate our national science enterprise, we must scrutinize our existing approach and recommit ourselves to best practices.” He contended that despite “soaring” biomedical research budgets in recent years, “scientific progress has stalled,” and that “more…
Dr. Amber Northern Tasked with Reforming IES
On May 30, the Department of Education welcomed Dr. Amber Northern as Senior Advisor, announcing that she will be tasked with reforming the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). In the department’s announcement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon was quoted: “As we return education to the states, it’s essential that educators have access to accurate data to inform their work and develop best practices. Dr. Northern’s deep expertise in education statistics and years of experience in the classroom will be an asset as we re-envision the work of IES.” Northern serves as Senior Vice President for Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute…