Trump Administration
Trump Administration
COSSA’s Save SBE Toolkit
As COSSA has been reporting, the National Science Foundationâs (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) is currently at risk of being eliminated. The Trump Administrationâs budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027 would zero out funding for SBE starting next fiscal year without providing notice or explanation to the research community. COSSA is working with friends across the scientific community to fight back. We have created a Save SBE webpage with resources you can use in your own efforts to defend SBE and promote the work of the social and behavioral sciences. The latest resource is the SBE Messaging Guide. This document was prepared for…
HHS Secretary Defends FY 2027 Budget to House Appropriations Subcommittee
On April 16, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the Presidentâs fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee (LHHS). The hearing highlighted several priority areas for the Administration, including chronic disease, vaccine efficacy, agriculture and food safety, rural health, and cyber and national security. During his opening statement, Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) offered his support to the Administration and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative; however, he stated that it would be unlikely for the Administration and Congress to âagree on areas for reduction.â He…
A Note from COSSA
Friends â As Iâm sure you have heard by now, the Trump Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2027 last week, which seeks to boost military spending by more than 44 percent by slashing funding for domestic programs. Among the domestic accounts affected are federal science agencies for which, once again, the Administration has put forward budget proposals that would all but hand American science leadership to our global competitors. See the related article below for preliminary details about the budget request. There will always be budget proposals by unsupportive Administrations seeking to cut funding for things they donât…
Trump Proposes Steep Cuts to Federal Funding in FY 2027 Budget Request
On April 3, the Trump Administration transmitted its fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to Congress. Included in the budget request are significant cuts that would decimate the U.S. scientific enterprise, including a repeated proposal to slash the National Science Foundationâs (NSF) budget by more than half (see NSFâs budget proposal here). The Administration has also proposed eliminating funding for NSFâs Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). Notably in previous appropriations bills, Congress has directed the agency to fully-fund the SBE directorate. The Administrationâs proposal also repeats several provisions and reorganization proposals from the previous yearâs request, including a proposal to…
Trump Announces New Members to PCAST
On March 25, President Trump announced his first appointments to the Presidentâs Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the body of external advisors charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House. In a departure to past PCASTs, the appointees include several private sector executives in the tech sphere, including returning members Lisa Su and Michael Dell who served in the Council during the Biden and Bush Administrations, respectively, in addition to Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison. Additional members are expected to be appointed at a later date. Notably, none of the appointees have…
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 Trumpâs push to pass the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), Congressional appropriators have turned their attention to drafting fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations legislation. As previously reported, the House Appropriations Committee set deadlines for submitting funding requests for Members earlier this month. Following in the Houseâs footsteps, the Senate Appropriations Committee released their guidance last week. Deadlines for each subcommitteeâs requests can be found here. Congress has also been holding hearings on budget and policy priorities for various departments and agencies, including the National Institutes of…
House Appropriations Committee Holds NIH Oversight Hearing
On March 17, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with testimony from Director Jay Bhattacharya. The hearing comes after Bhattacharya testified in front of the Senate Health, Education, and Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in February (see previous coverage). Bhattacharya, who has also been serving as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director since February in addition to his role as NIH Director, fielded questions on a variety of topics, including the Trump Administrationâs delays in grant distribution, indirect costs,…
US Science Funding Delayed Despite Congress Rejecting Cuts
According to reporting by Nature, federal science agencies continue to experience delays in receiving the okay to start spending their fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations from Congress. As previously reported, Congress completed its work on FY 2026 appropriations for most federal science agencies earlier this year. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been slow to approve agency spending plans, which are required to be delivered to OMB within 30 days of enactment of the appropriations bills. Traditionally, agencies had authority to start spending portions of their appropriations immediately and continuing in monthly increments until its spending plan…
Interim NSF Leadership Briefs NSB on Reorganization
The National Science Board (NSB), the governing and oversight body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), met on February 25. The agenda included a briefing on NSFâs new âmanagement structure,â presented by Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the NSF Director, and Micah Cheatham, NSFâs Chief Management Officer. The speakers discussed recent efforts to reduce the NSF workforce in response to White House guidance and executive orders on âoptimizing the federal workforce.â In addition to reductions in force (RIFs) taken over the last year, NSFâs efforts have focused on reducing the ratio of executives to non-executives within the workforce, adding non-executive supervisors,…
Department of Education Receives Recommendations to Reform IES
On February 27, Department of Education Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern delivered a report, Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences, to Secretary Linda McMahon with recommendations on how to reform the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The report comes after Northern was appointed to the role in May in an effort to âmodernizeâ the agency (see previous coverage). In September, the Department of Education also released a request for public comment on restructuring the agency, which reportedly influenced Northernâs recommendations (see previous coverage). About the report, she said: âIES has set the standard for high-quality education research these last 25 years,…
Trump to Deliver State of the Union Address
As previously reported, President Trump is scheduled to give his State of the Union address later today amidst a partial government shutdown as Congressional lawmakers continue to negotiate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bill with no end in sight. The State of the Union is expected to offer a preview into the Presidentâs priorities for the year; however, full details are likely to emerge with the delayed release of the Presidential Budget Request. Itâs currently unclear when the budget is set to be released. As with tradition, the Democratic Caucus will have the chance to…
Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue
The White House recently announced plans to nominate Jim OâNeill as the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), placing a longtime health policy official and private-sector investor at the helm of the nationâs premier basic science funding agency. OâNeill most recently served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (see previous coverage). Earlier in his career, OâNeill worked at the Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of George W. Bush. He later moved into the private sector, investing in emerging technologies, including through the Thiel Foundationâs Breakout Labs program, which supports…
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 discuss Modernizing the National Institutes of Health: Faster Discoveries, More Cures . 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 hearing comes nearly two years since Cassidyâs release of a white paper on recommendations to improve the NIH in 2024 (see previous…
Stuart Levenbach Quietly Assumes Role as U.S. Chief Statistician
According to the White House Office of Management and Budgetâs (OMB) Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, Stuart Levenbach has been appointed to serve as Chair of the Council, a position that is, by law, held by the U.S. Chief Statistician. OMB quietly updated its website to reflect his new role, replacing Mark Calabria, who assumed the role of Chief Statistician after the departure of Karin Orvis at the start of the Trump Administrationâs second term in 2025. Notably, the position does not require Senate confirmation. Previously, Levenbach had been nominated by the Trump Administration to serve as the head of the Consumer…
OPM Final Rule Expands Excepted Service, Raises Workforce Concerns
The White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has finalized a sweeping rule that expands the use of the excepted service by creating âSchedule Policy/Career,â a new category covering career employees in policy-influencing roles (see previous coverage). While OPM frames the change as a way to improve accountability and responsiveness, critics warn it weakens long-standing civil service protections. Under the rule, career employees (e.g., nonpolitical appointees) whose roles are of a âconfidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating characterâ may be reclassified into Schedule Policy/Career. They will retain competitive status but lose key procedural protections, including appeal rights for adverse actions and performance-based removals. OPM…
Latest from the White House (January 13)
In December, the White House released the Presidentâs Management Agenda (PMA). Administrations have been issuing PMAs since the George W. Bush presidency in 2001. The agendas represent the Presidentâs 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 predecessorâs agendas to ensure continuity in government improvement. However, the Trump Administrationâs PMA released last month reads…
ICYMI: New Executive Order Takes Aim at State AI Laws
On December 11, the White House issued its latest Executive Order (EO) related to artificial intelligence (AI), Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. The order states its aim to allow companies to innovate by eliminating âcumbersome regulationâ at the federal level through the establishment of a âminimally burdensome national policy framework for AI.â Until national standards governing AI can be established, the EO directs the Attorney General to form an âAI Litigation Task Forceâ responsible for identifying and challenging state laws that appear inconsistent with the federal policy. Through the evaluation the Task Force will be looking for state laws…
Request for Information: Accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise
Before the Thanksgiving break, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a request for information (RFI) on Accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise. The RFI states that advances in scientific opportunity, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, coupled with intensified global competition âcall for a comprehensive assessment of how the federal government prioritizes and structures scientific research.â The RFI is asking stakeholders to respond to 13 questions that âwill inform the formulation of Executive branch efforts to advance and maintain U.S. S&T leadership.â Questions cover topics such as funding mechanisms that could improve public-private collaborations, ways to support…
ICYMI: NIH Modifies Funding Strategy, Moves Away from Paylines
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a notice on November 21 outlining a framework for âImplementing a Unified NIH Funding Strategy to Guide Consistent and Clearer Award Decisions.â The notice follows on an August statement from the NIH Director. The framework describes a need to âbalance many competing and dynamic factors when determining the most meritorious research ideas to support,â such as peer review, availability of funds, and health priorities, among others. Starting with the January 2026 Councils, all NIH institutes and centers (ICs) will be expected to follow the same funding policies, including the following core tenets: In addition, the notice…
Trump Administration launches AI-focused âGenesis Missionâ
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 âunleash a new age of AI-accelerated innovation and discoveryâ by â[building] an integrated AI platform to harness Federal scientific datasetsâthe worldâs largest collection of such datasets, developed over decades of Federal investmentsâto train scientific foundation models and create AI agents to test new hypotheses, automate research workflows, and accelerate scientific breakthroughs.â The Department of Energy (DOE) is tasked with implementing the mission with…