White House
White House
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…
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…
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…
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…
Latest from the White House (October 28)
Universities Reject Trumpâs Higher Education Compact As previously reported, nine of the nationâs leading research universities received letters from the White House earlier this month urging that they agree to the Administrationâs Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The Compact lays out several conditions that align with the Presidentâs 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 âIn our view, Americaâs 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 nationâs 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 Administrationâs definitions of gender, and âtransforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spart violence against conservative ideas.â In return, institutions that sign the compact will be guaranteed: â(i) access to…
White House SBS Team Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
On September 15, the White House’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) celebrated its one-year anniversary. SBST, a group of behavioral scientists within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), is chaired by the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). It also includes the participation of federal agencies, departments, and White House offices. The 2016 Social and Behavioral Sciences Team Annual Report cites the progress made by the team in implementing President Obama’s Executive Order 13707, “Using Behavioral Science Insights to Better Serve the American People” (see Update, September 22, 2015). The 2016 report…
Impact Report Highlights Obama Administrationâs Science Initiatives
On June 21, the White House released 100 Examples of President Obamaâs Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation. Among the initiatives and policies listed are efforts to increase scientific transparency at federal science agencies, the formation of science-related councils and groups at the White House, and the creation of multiple science and research-related tax credits. Many of the initiatives promoted the social and behavioral sciences, including creating the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) at the White House, publishing thousands of federal datasets on data.gov, and implementing a multi-agency plan to harness big data. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
White House SBS Team Seeks Fellows
The White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST), which uses insights from the social and behavioral sciences to improve federal programs, is accepting applications for new members to serve on the team as Fellows or Associate Fellows. The one-year fellowship begins in October 2016 and is open to PhD or Masters level scientists with expertise in one or more field in the social and behavioral sciences. The deadline for applications is January 24, 2016. More information on the fellowship is available here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
White House SBS Team Issues Inaugural Report; President Signs Executive Order
On September 15, President Obama signed an Executive Order calling on federal agencies and departments to use âbehavioral science insightsâ to âdesign government policies to better serve the American people.â The order comes as the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST), a team of about a dozen behavioral scientists within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), issued its first annual report. SBST was established in 2014 as a mechanism for testing and applying social and behavioral science interventions to make government programs more efficient and more accessible. The team is chaired by the White House Office of Science and…
White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team Seeks Fellows and Associates
The White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) has issued a call for fellows and associates to âtranslate insights from the social and behavioral sciences into concrete recommendations for how to improve federal programs, policies, and operationsâŠâ This activity was referenced in the Presidentâs FY 2016 Budget Request (see page 5).  Fellows tend to be researchers holding a PhD in a social science field who take leave from their university, government agency, etc. to serve in this position. Associates are researchers currently pursuing a PhD in a related field, or who have a Masterâs degree plus two years or more of relevant experience. …