A staple since COSSA’s earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinar on March 31
On March 31, join COSSA for our next Headlines Webinar. We will continue to cover the latest Congressional news, President Trump’s Executive actions, the federal budget, and more. The webinar will be taking place on March 31 at 1pm EST. Register here. If you missed COSSA’s recent webinars, you can find the recordings below: Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
FINAL DAYS: Register for Social Science Advocacy Day 2025
Social Science Advocacy Day is days away! This event is a must for everyone invested in the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research is vital to inform sound public policy. Now is the time to act. Registration for COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is open, but only for a few more days! You can register here. If you can’t be with us this year, keep an eye on your inbox for ways to advocate from home. Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day.
President Signs Full-year Continuing Resolution
On March 15, the President signed into law a full-year continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal year (FY) 2025 with only a few hours to spare before the previous CR, enacted in December, was scheduled to lapse (see previous COSSA coverage). The stopgap funding measure, which passed in the Republican-controlled House in a 217-213 vote and the Republican-controlled Senate in a 54-46 vote, is considered to be a “clean” CR, meaning funding levels will be kept at the FY 2024 level, with a few changes, until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. However, given the bare-bones nature of a CR,…
House Science Committee Addresses Threats to Federally Funded Research in Hearing
On March 5, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee’s Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing on Assessing the Threat to U.S. Funded Research. Witnesses included Mr. Jeffrey Stoff, President, Center for Research Security & Integrity; Mr. John F. Sargent Jr., Retired, Specialist in Science and Technology Policy, Congressional Research Service; and Dr. Maria Zuber, E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Presidential Advisor for Science and Technology Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In his opening remarks, Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) highlighted the importance of remaining a global leader in scientific research while protecting U.S. research from foreign competitors….
President Trump Executive Actions
Trump Administration Actions (all actions available here):
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…
NIH Director Nominee, Dr. Bhattacharya, Voted Through HELP Committee; CDC Nomination Pulled
On March 13, the nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya advanced through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in a 12-11 vote along party lines, overcoming the first hurdle for being confirmed as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director (see previous COSSA coverage). The next step is a confirmation vote by the full Senate, which has not yet been scheduled. During his confirmation hearing on March 5, Bhattacharya stated an intent to refocus NIH’s research efforts on addressing chronic diseases, aligning with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as well as investing in cutting…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue March 31
On March 31, join COSSA for a continuation of our 2025 Headlines Webinar Series. We will cover the latest Congressional news, President Trump’s Executive actions, the federal budget, and more. The webinar will be taking place on March 31 at 1pm EST. Register here. If you missed COSSA’s recent webinars, you can find the recordings below: Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
Time is Running Out: Register for Social Science Advocacy Day 2025
The stakes for research funding are at an all-time high as we continue in a tough political and budgetary landscape. Social Science Advocacy Day is a must for everyone invested in the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research is vital to inform sound public policy. Now is the time to act. Registration for COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is open, but time is running out! The event will be taking place March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC and you can register here. If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor for Social Science Advocacy Day,…
Congress Pushes to Enact Final CR as Trump Administration Delivers List of Funding Anomalies
Congress is facing a March 14 deadline for finalizing the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill, which is when a continuing resolution (CR) expires. In recent days, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) directed appropriators to prepare a final stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government operating through the end of the fiscal year (September 30). The Trump Administration has delivered a list of “anomalies,” or changes, they would like to see in the final FY 2025 spending bill. This includes increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), veterans’ affairs, defense accounts,…
119th Congress: Profile of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has jurisdiction over health care, education, employment and retirement policies, including authorization of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Education, and more. Like all Senate Committees, the leadership of the HELP Committee shifted to Republican-control following the 2024 elections. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is now serving as Chair and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as Ranking Member. As Ranking Member in the last Congress, Cassidy indicated his desire to restructure the National Institutes of Health through a series of public comments and…
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing on OSTP Director Nominee Michael Kratsios
On February 25, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a confirmation hearing on the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director nominee, Michael Kratsios, and the Federal Trade Commissioner nominee, Mark Meador. As previously reported by COSSA, Kratsios served as Trump’s Chief Technology Officer and later as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Department of Defense (DOD) during the first Trump term. During the hearing, Kratsios affirmed that he would “prioritize emerging technologies” if confirmed. Further, when Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) questioned Kratsios about the recent firings of federal…
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,…
Ron Jarmin Appointed as Acting Census Bureau Director
On February 20, the U.S Census Bureau appointed Dr. Ron Jarmin as Acting Director. This follows the resignation of former Census Bureau Director Rob Santos on January 30, three years into his five-year term (see previous COSSA coverage). Dr. Jarmin, a career employee of the Census Bureau since 1992 and elected fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), previously served as Acting Director of the Bureau from January 2021 to January 2022 (see previous COSSA coverage). Dr. Jarmin is also the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer at the Census Bureau. This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Sarah Wang.
Cross-Sector Leaders Issue Vision for American Science and Technology
On February 25, a task force comprising more than 70 leaders representing science, industry, academia, philanthropy, and the public sector released the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST). A launch event hosted by Axios was held in Washington, DC (video). COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus served on the VAST task force. The VAST report contains a set of policy recommendations aimed at recalibrating and optimizing the U.S. science and technology (S&T) enterprise with an eye toward enabling American long-term economic prosperity, addressing societal challenges, and maintaining global leadership. The vision identifies three “avenues for action,” each containing recommendations for policy makers,…
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 “workforce optimization,” the President’s Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to fire “trial and probationary” 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…
NEW ACTION ALERT: Write to Congress TODAY about the Need to Protect Government Data
Since January, government data sources have begun disappearing from federal agency websites, including at the National Science Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Justice, among others. While some data have since been restored, many remain unavailable and the Trump Administration’s plans regarding the availability of government data and statistics remain uncertain. The social and behavioral science community understands well that the research enterprise, government officials, businesses, and other sectors rely on accurate, unbiased public data—data that must remain free from political interference….
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue February 27
On February 27, join COSSA for updates on the latest Congressional actions, President Trump’s Executive Actions, and the federal budget. The webinar will be taking place on February 27 at 1pm EST. Register here. If you missed COSSA’s recent webinar 119th Congress & Trump 2.0: What Does it Mean for Us? you can find the recording and slides here. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
REGISTER NOW: Social Science Advocacy Day 2025
The stakes for research funding are at an all-time high as we enter a tough political and budgetary landscape. Social Science Advocacy Day is a must for everyone invested in the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research is vital to inform sound public policy. Now is the time to act. Registration for COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is still open. The event will be taking place March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC and you can register here. If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor for Social Science Advocacy Day, find all of our sponsorship opportunities…
Congress Inches Towards Budget Reconciliation; FY 2025 Appropriations Remains Uncertain
As the Republican-controlled Congress seeks to push forward the Trump Administration’s policy goals, the House and Senate have proposed budget reconciliation packages relating to increasing funding for the border and defense as well as limiting spending and renewing tax cuts. On February 13, House Republicans struck a deal within their conference to push forward the proposed 2025 budget reconciliation package. The package would direct committees to find $1.5 trillion worth of budget cuts while simultaneously providing $4.5 trillion to the Ways and Means Committee for tax cuts. The reconciliation bill would increase the deficit by up to $4 trillion over a decade….