Executive Order/Action
Executive Order/Action
Scientific Community Responds in Force to OMB Proposed Rule
More than 340,000 public comments have been submitted in response to the proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, that seeks to make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The deadline for comments was July 13. Organizations and individuals used their comments to register deep concerns about the proposed changes and their potential impacts on the U.S. research enterprise and our diminishing global competitiveness. COSSA’s comments, which have not yet been posted officially to regulations.gov, is available here. According to the proposed rule, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set an implementation date of…
The “DOGE” Era Ends
The so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE, which was created by executive order on President Trump’s first day in office, was officially dismantled on July 4 in accordance with the termination date set in the executive order. DOGE, previously led by Elon Musk, is responsible for much of the upheaval felt by federal agencies and the research community over the last year and half, including mass federal worker layoffs and grant terminations. The entity, which was originally tasked with finding $2 trillion in government savings, most recently claimed to have reduced federal spending by $215 billion. However, in a recent hearing before…
Resources for Commenting on OMB Proposed Rule
As previously reported, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025, many of great concern to the research community. Public comments are being accepted through July 13. COSSA is holding a members-only webinar on July 1 at 2:00 pm ET to provide guidance to members planning to comment. As of this writing, more than 70,000 public comments have been submitted. Many scientific…
NSF Seeks Comment on Grant Policy Revisions, Due Aug. 24
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to its grant policies. The changes are intended to bring NSF’s policy in line with the White House Office of Management and Budget’s sweeping proposed revisions to federal grant regulations released in late May (see related article). The draft would revise grant termination provisions, prohibit charging publication costs to awards, and eliminate references to fixed-price awards. It also clarifies that recovery of indirect costs on NSF awards is subject to the availability of funds, meaning organizations may not be able to recover their full negotiated indirect cost rates if award…
President Trump Executive Actions
Trump Administration Actions (all actions available here): Find COSSA’s full list of Trump’s Executive Actions and more information here or on the Social Science Space Tracker.
Research Community Organizing Around OMB Proposed Rule
As previously reported, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025. Public comments will be accepted through July 13; public requests that the 45-day comment period be extended have been denied by OMB. As the research community prepares to respond, scientific and higher education groups are providing guidance to help make sense of the more than 400-page proposed…
White House Proposes Sweeping Changes to Federal Grant Rules – Comments Due July 13
At the end of May, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule would implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders over the last year, including the Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking order and Restoring Gold Standard Science order, among others. Among the changes are, but not limited to: Proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance have been anticipated for several months. Still the sweeping nature of the changes, if implemented, would fundamentally alter the…
Trump Administration launches AI-focused ‘Genesis Mission’
On November 24, the White House issued an executive order (EO), Launching the Genesis Mission. It is the latest action by the Trump Administration seeking to establish American leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Genesis Mission, according to the EO, will “unleash a new age of AI-accelerated innovation and discovery” by “[building] an integrated AI platform to harness Federal scientific datasets—the world’s largest collection of such datasets, developed over decades of Federal investments—to train scientific foundation models and create AI agents to test new hypotheses, automate research workflows, and accelerate scientific breakthroughs.” The Department of Energy (DOE) is tasked with implementing the mission with…
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 “reproducibility crisis” caused by “falsification of data” and “highly misleading research.” 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, “Every tax dollar the Government spends should improve American lives or advance American interests. This often does not happen.” It continues, “…the best proposals do not always receive funding, and there is too much unfocused research of marginal social utility.” [emphasis added] In response, the EO calls for each federal grantmaking agency to create…
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…
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,…
Bhattacharya Defends NIH Budget Request to Senate Appropriators
As the Congressional appropriations process continues, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was invited to defend the President’s FY 2026 before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee (see COSSA’s analysis). Under the President’s budget, the NIH would see steep budget cuts and a major restructuring that would reduce the institutes and centers (ICs) from 27 to 8. Throughout the hearing, Bhattacharya fielded questions on the impacts of these proposals on the research community and dismissed concerns, claiming that the proposal is the starting point of a budget…
Congress Begins FY 26 Appropriations; Reconciliation Remains Uncertain
Following a brief recess for Memorial Day, Congress has returned ready to tackle both budget reconciliation and fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations. As previously reported by COSSA, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) passed through the House in a 215-214 vote in late May, sending the tax policy package to the Senate. Many members of the Senate have since indicated that the bill would likely see many changes before passing their chamber, and, more recently, House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA), have come out against the bill, expressing regret for having voted for it. Despite Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) self-imposed…
President Trump Issues EO to Restore ‘Gold Standard in Science’
On May 23, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), Restoring Gold Standard Science. The EO indicates that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research is facing a “reproducibility crisis” which the order claims is a result of researchers’ “falsification of data” and the Federal Agencies publication of “highly misleading” research. The EO also took aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies that “further politicized science,” aligning with previous EO’s dismantling similar policies (see previous COSSA coverage). The Trump Administration has tasked the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to issue guidance for agencies on 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 President’s 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 “facilitate 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 “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,” 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. ‘Radical Transparency’ About Wasteful Spending As previously reported by COSSA, the Trump Administration has prioritized cutting “government waste” 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 “the complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract,…