Latest from the White House
Latest from the White House (January 13)
In December, the White House released theĀ Presidentās Management AgendaĀ (PMA). Administrations have beenĀ issuing PMAs since the George W. Bush presidency in 2001. The agendas represent the Presidentās 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 predecessorās agendas to ensure continuity in government improvement. However, the Trump Administrationās PMA released last month reads…
Latest from the White House (October 28)
Universities Reject Trumpās Higher Education Compact As previously reported, nine of the nationās leading research universities received letters from the White House earlier this month urging that they agree to the Administrationās Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The Compact lays out several conditions that align with the Presidentās agenda and ideology. In exchange, universities that sign on would perceive preferential treatment for federal funding, including research grants. The original nine universities were given until October 20 to respond with feedback. Since then, MIT was the first university to officially reject the offer, stating āIn our view, Americaās leadership in science and innovation…
Latest from the White House (October 14)
9 Universities Asked to Sign White House Compact in Exchange for Funding Earlier this month, nine of the nationās leading research universities received letters from the White House urging that they agree to Trump Administration priorities in exchange for federal funding. The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education lays out several conditions, such as freezing tuition rates for five years, capping international student enrollment, agreeing to the Administrationās definitions of gender, and ātransforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spart violence against conservative ideas.ā In return, institutions that sign the compact will be guaranteed: ā(i) access to…
Latest from the White House (September 30)
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…
Latest from the White House (September 16)
Federal Agencies Issue Gold Standard Science Implementation Plans As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science, which aims to address what the Administration sees as a āreproducibility crisisā caused by āfalsification of dataā and āhighly misleading research.ā As part of the order, federal science agencies were given until August 22 to develop implementation plans for ensuring compliance with guidance provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in June. In response, federal science agencies have publicly posted their implementation plans. While each addressed the Gold Standard EO differently, they all…
Latest from the White House (September 2)
Executive Order Seeks to Mandate Political Review of Grant Awards On August 7, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO) on Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking. This is a sweeping order that seeks to place several new requirements on federal grantmaking agencies, including science agencies. The EO states, āEvery tax dollar the Government spends should improve American lives or advance American interests. This often does not happen.ā It continues, āā¦the best proposals do not always receive funding, and there is too much unfocused research of marginal social utility.ā [emphasis added] In response, the EO calls for each federal grantmaking agency to create…
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 āfull-year apportionmentā of funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025āwhich 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….
Latest from the White House (July 22)
President Trump Establishes New āSchedule Gā 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 Administrationās addition of a new āSchedule Policy/Careerā classification, making it easier to terminate certain career (or non-political) federal employees whose positions are āpolicy-influencingā (see previous coverage). According to a White House fact sheet: āCreating Schedule G fills [a] gap and facilitates appointments of non-career federal employees who will serve temporarily and implement the policy…
Latest from the White House (July 8)
Additional Guidance on āGold Standard Scienceā 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 itselfāwhich focuses on reproducibility, transparency, unbiased peer review, and other common research tenetsāand more to do with its calling for…
Latest from the White House (June 24)
āForward Fundingā 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 ācontinue 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…
Latest from the White House (June 10)
Presidentās 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 āOne Big Beautiful Billā that is working its way through Congress (see COSSAās 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 Presidentās FY 2026 budget request. Until then, a few…
Latest from the White House (May 27)
COSSA continues to follow the flurry of executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. DOD Announces 15% Indirect Cost Cap Earlier this month, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that it will immediately begin imposing a flat 15 percent indirect cost rate on research sponsored by the department. According to the memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that the cap will not be limited to new grants, but that existing awards…
Latest from the White House (May 13)
COSSA continues to follow the flurry of executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. The Dismantling of NSF Continues As previously reported, the Presidentās so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in April, leading to the termination of more funded projects, elimination of directorate advisory committees, and the resignation of the NSF Director. Last week, as reported by Science, the agency was further upended with the…
Latest from the White House (April 29)
COSSA continues to follow the flurry of executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. DOGE Arrives at NSF Earlier this month, the Presidentās so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the group led by Elon Musk, arrived at the National Science Foundation (NSF). A chain of serious events followed their visit, underscoring the power bestowed on DOGE to upend existing agency operations. The team of DOGE officials arrived at NSF on April…
Latest from the White House (April 1)
COSSA continues to follow the flurry of executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. Eliminating the Department of Education As promised on the campaign trail, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) on March 20 that instructs the Education Secretary to begin the process of closing the U.S. Department of Education. The order, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, directs the Secretary to āfacilitate the closure of…
Latest from the White House (March 18)
COSSA continues to follow the flurry of executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. Trump Eliminates Agencies On March 14, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO), Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, which eliminates several agencies āto the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,ā including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), among others. The Woodrow Wilson International Center…
Latest from the White House (March 4)
COSSA continues to report on executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and the impact those actions are having on the social and behavioral science community. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Past updates are available here. āRadical Transparencyā About Wasteful Spending As previously reported by COSSA, the Trump Administration has prioritized cutting āgovernment wasteā in the first six weeks of his term. On February 18, an Executive Order (EO) was published titled, Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending in which the Administration directs federal agencies to make public āthe complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract,…
Latest from the White House (February 18)
As previously reported, the Trump Administration has from day one been issuing a dizzying number of executive actions, some whose legality remain in question. Below are some of the latest developments coming out of the White House. Federal Workforce Last week, as part of an Executive Order on āworkforce optimization,ā the Presidentās Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to fire ātrial and probationaryā employees, providing little other guidance on how to do it. Typically, probationary employees are those within 1-3 years of service in their position. Democratic lawmakers and government worker unions are pushing back, arguing the long-term damage that…