119th Congress
119th Congress: Convened on 1/3/2025 and will end 1/3/2027.
House Releases Markup Schedule for Science Funding Bills
On April 13, the House Appropriations Committee released the markup schedule for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The Commerce, Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies Bill (CJS), which provides annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and the U.S. Census Bureau, is scheduled to be reviewed by the CJS Subcommittee on April 30 with the full Appropriations Committee markup scheduled for May 13. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Bill (LHHS), which funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and…
House SST Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the State of Scientific Publishing
On April 15, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing on the State of Scientific Publishing. During the hearing, several members raised concerns over scientific integrity and reproducibility in research, publishing corporations and paper mills, open access to federally funded research, and the potential risks that artificial intelligence (AI) and competition with China pose on the scientific ecosystem. Witnesses included Carl Maxwell, Senior VP for Public policy at the Association of American Publishers; Kate Travis, Managing Editor at Retraction Watch; and Jason Owen-Smith, Executive Director at the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science at…
Sen. Welch Requests GAO Report on Impact of Scientific Research
On March 24, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) sent aĀ letterĀ to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a full review of the economic, scientific, and national security impacts of the elimination of federal funding for scientific research. In the letter, he raised concerns about the Administrationās proposal of a 15 percent cap on indirect rates, arguing it would ācut $5 billion annually from university-based research nationwideā. Further, Sen. Welch highlighted the positive economic impact of scientific research, claiming that cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) would result in a loss of economic…
Congress Begins FY 2027 Budget Hearings
While Congress continues to grapple with a lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and President Trumpās push to pass theĀ SAVE ActĀ (H.R. 22), Congressional appropriators have turned their attention to drafting fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations legislation. AsĀ previously reported, the House Appropriations Committee set deadlines for submitting funding requests for Members earlier this month. Following in the Houseās footsteps, the Senate Appropriations Committee released their guidance last week. Deadlines for each subcommitteeās requests can be foundĀ here. Congress has also been holding hearings on budget and policy priorities for various departments and agencies, including the National Institutes of…
Congress Kickstarts FY 2027 Appropriations Process; DHS Shutdown Continues
As Congress continues to grapple with the Department of Homeland Securityās (DHS) lapse in funding, House Republicans have reportedly left Capitol Hill for their annual retreat. As previously reported, some Members of Congressāincluding House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL)āare pushing for a second reconciliation package to increase funding for the Department of Defense. Notably, Members on both sides of the aisle have argued against funding the department outside of the normal appropriations bills and, according to recent reports, President Trump may remain unconvinced on the controversial measure. It is likely to be a point of contention during the retreat as…
Congress Requests Briefings from Scientific Research Agencies on Safeguarding Against Foreign-Linked Compromised Research
On February 5, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) sent letters to several agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), raising concerns about āfalsified researchā published from āpaper millsā funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In their letter to NSF, the Chairmen wrote: āSuch false research can negatively impact the scientific community and set back fundamental and critical research for years before it is identified. As a…
NIH Director Bhattacharya Testifies Before Congress on Modernizing the Agency
On February 3, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta Bhattacharya appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to discussĀ Modernizing the National Institutes of Health: Faster Discoveries, More CuresĀ . During the hearing, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chairman of the Committee, expressed a bipartisan concern over the unprecedented NIH grant award cancellations in the last year, a lack of public trust in the NIH and science institutions, as well as national and personal health security risks. This hearingĀ comesĀ nearly two years since Cassidyās release of a white paper on recommendations to improve the NIH in 2024 (see previous…
House Narrowly Passes Latest Appropriations Package for Science Agencies
As previously reported, the House and Senate passed a three-bill package earlier this month that included fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding for federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). COSSAās in-depth analysis of the CJS bill can be found here. Late last week, the House passed a separate four-bill package that contains the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations billāwhich provides funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute of Education Sciences…
Kratsios Defends Federal AI Standards in House Science Committee Hearing
On January 14, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios defended the Trump Administrationās federal standards on artificial intelligence (AI) in front of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee. As previously reported, the Trump Administration unveiled Winning the Race: Americaās AI Action Plan last year, which outlines future federal policy actions designed to ensure the U.S. is a leader in global AI development across scientific, practical, and creative uses. Notably, Congressional members raised concerns about the Administrationās restriction of stateās ability to pass laws on AI development and usage, which was passed as a provision in the Big, Beautiful Bill…
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…
Appropriations Bills Stalled; Congress to Consider NDAA
As the year approaches its end, Congress is still working to finish the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. Most of the federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that gives lawmakers until January 30, 2026 to complete their work (reminder: the new fiscal year began on October 1). With the upcoming two-week recess for the holidays, Congress is on a tight deadline. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS),…
Equal Representation Act
On December 2, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 151). The act, which was led by Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC), seeks to include a citizenship question on the decennial census and exclude non-citizens from congressional apportionment. COSSA signed onto a letter to Congress led by the Population Association of America (PAA), a COSSA governing member, earlier this year opposing this legislation as these changes could potentially undermine participation in the decennial census and, therefore, ultimately diminish the quality and utility of decennial census data. This could have devastating effects for researchers that rely on the data. There…
Congress Turns to Final Appropriations Bills Following End of Government Shutdown
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that extends fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding through to January 30, 2026, ending the weeks-long government shutdown and giving Appropriators additional time to finish their work on FY 2026 funding. Currently, only three appropriations bills have been enacted into lawāeach having been attached to the CRāincluding the Agriculture bill, Legislative Branch bill, and Veteran Affairs bill. Despite delays, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), and Transportation,…
Senate Democrats Break Rank to Pass New Spending Package
Late Monday night, seven Senate Democrats and one Independent joined Senate Republicans to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that would extend fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding through January 30, 2026. As a reminder, FY 2025 was enacted under a year-long CR, funding the federal government with FY 2024 levels. Senate Republicans managed to wrangle the necessary 60 votes with support from Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Angus King (I-ME). Several concessions were reportedly made to secure the agreement, including a…
New Action Alert: Write to Congress TODAY about the Need to Reopen the Federal Government
Funding for most government activities expired at midnight on September 30. Since Congress has failed to reach an agreement to keep the government open, all federal agencies are now shut down. The shutdown and lack of clarity on FY 2026 funding damages the ability of federal science agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, and federal statistical agencies to meet their missions. Those harms are passed on to researchers who rely on support from the federal government. Federal science and statistical agencies have already experienced destructive effects this year as a result of…
As Shutdown Continues, Federal Employees Face RIFs and Pay Uncertainty
Congress remains at a standstill as the government shutdown continues, with little progress having been made since our previous reporting. As the holiday season rapidly approaches, so too does the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) deadline of November 21, which has failed to pass several times in the Senate. Recent rumors suggest that the Republican-majority may seek to extend the deadline in their version of the bill past the holidays, or as proposed by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), into December 2026 after the midterm elections. If that were to occur, the federal government would keep FY 2024…
ICYMI: Research Community Responds to SAFE Research Act
In August, House Republicans passed their National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2026 along party lines. In an amendment, the House attached the SAFE Research Act, which would create extensive national security barriers to how the Department of Defense can fund research at universities. Among the billsā provisions is a requirement for funding to be terminated for higher institutions and researchers that partner with āhostile foreign entities,ā requiring these connections to be severed for at least five years before they become eligible for federal funding. A list of āhostile foreign entitiesā would be kept by the Department of…
No End in Sight for Government Shutdown as Congress Clashes Over Expiring ACA Subsidies
On October 1, federal funding lapsed in the absence of a budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026, shutting down the federal government for the first time since the historic thirty-five-day shutdown under President Trumpās first term. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Democrats clashed with the Republican majority over a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that did not address Democratsā concerns over extending the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, reversing some of the Medicaid cuts enacted in the ābig, beautiful bill,ā and including language to prohibit funding cuts and pocket recissions. While both parties are generally supportive of extending the ACA subsidies, so far Democrats…
Federal Funding Set to Expire at Midnight with No Solution in Sight
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…
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…