A staple since COSSAās 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.Ā
NSF Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan Tenders Resignation
On April 24, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan tendered his resignation as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Earlier this month, NSF announced the termination of 400 grants, targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, research on misinformation and disinformation, as well as other areas that did not align with the agencyās new priorities (see related article). His resignation also comes after reports that the White House directed NSF to slash its budget by 55 percent. During his term at NSF, Dr. Panchanathan, who was nominated to lead the agency by President Trump in 2020, led the agency through many advancements, including the bipartisan Congressional reauthorization of…
Congress Returns from Recess; Begins Drafting Reconciliation Bills
After a two-week recess, Congress has returned to Capitol Hill determined to make progress on reconciliation legislation with an eye toward enacting one ābig, beautiful billā to extend the Trump Administrationās tax breaks.Ā As previously reported by COSSA, Congress passed a reconciliation blueprint through the House and Senate in March. The blueprint directs Congressional committees to identify cuts to agencies and programs under their jurisdiction and, over the past weekend, the House Homeland Security Committee (HHSC) and House Armed Services Committee (HASC) released their draft bills. In these bills,Ā $69 billion would be allocated to border securityĀ andĀ $150 billion to defense priorities. More…
Leaked HHS Passback Budget Includes NIH Reorganization, Cuts to Health Agencies
On April 10, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) passback budget was leaked to the public. A passback budget is a preliminary proposal in which Federal Agencies and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) negotiate discretionary funding and legislative priorities for inclusion in the Presidential Budget Request (PBR). It should not be considered the final version to be included in the PBR when it is released. Notable provisions within the leaked passback: The Presidential Budget Request (PBR) is rumored to be released in May with the possibility of a skinny budget sooner. Stay tuned to COSSAās continued coverage on…
President Trump Executive Actions
Trump Administration Actions (all actions available here): Find COSSA’s full list of Trump’s Executive Actions and more informationĀ hereĀ or on theĀ Social Science Space Tracker.
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 Presidentās 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…
NIH Director Bhattacharya Gives First Public Remarks at NIH Council of Councils
On April 21, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya presented his vision for NIH during a meeting of the NIH Council of Councils. The Council consists of approximately 30 members, selected from the various NIH Institute and Center (IC) Advisory Councils, representatives nominated by the Office of the Director program offices, and broad lay representation. It advises the NIH Director on matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI). As previously reported by COSSA, Bhattacharya was confirmed as NIH Director in late March. During his first public remarks since being confirmed,…
Suzanne Le Menestrel Named New Executive Director of the Society for Research in Child Development
On April 24, the Society for Research in Child Developmentās (SRCD) announced that Dr. Suzanne Le Menestrel has been appointed as the Executive Director. Dr. Le Menestrel has been acting as SRCDās Interim Executive Director since December 2024 and initially joined the Society through her appointment to Director of Science Affairs in 2022. Dr. Le Menestrel has provided oversight of SRCDās peer-reviewed journals, grants, awards, and fellowships; collaborated with the executive leadership team on special scientific initiatives; led professional development and scientific content on behalf of SRCDās 4,000+ members; and built relationships with scientific collaborators, both within the U.S. and…
2025 PAA Advocacy Day: A Record-Breaking Successful Day on Capitol Hill
On April 10, in conjunction with the Population Association of America (PAA) 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, PAA sponsored a large advocacy day in which over 100 scientists from 30 states participated in meetings with their congressional delegations. PAA sponsors a large advocacy day whenever its annual meeting is held in Washington, DC. The last two events, in 2016 and 2012, attracted over 80 individuals, making this yearās event truly record-breaking. Population scientists went to Capitol Hill to share examples of their federally funded research as well as to promote greater understanding of how data produced by federal statistical agencies are…
Share Your Story with COSSA
Given current uncertainty about the future of the U.S. research enterprise, COSSA is collecting stories from the social and behavioral science community on how recent Executive Actions are affecting or have the potential to affect research and the scientific workforce. Your contributions will help the COSSA team as we share real-world, timely information with policymakers (e.g., Congress and federal agencies) about the impact these actions are having across the country. Your responses will remain confidential, and any stories used by COSSA will be anonymized and used anecdotally. You may provide your name and contact information in the survey, which would only be…
Tracking Current Federal Changes Affecting U.S. Education and Science
The arrival of Donald Trumpās second term as U.S. president brought with it a dramatic, chaotic and generally ideological assault on the status quo for American-based or -funded schools or researchers. Sage and COSSA have sponsored a page to help track actions ā and reactions ā to the flurry of activity in real time. The page is titled, Tracking Current Federal Changes Affecting U.S. Education and Science and is available here on Social Science Space. Continue to check back as we post new updates about Trump Administration actions concerning federal science funding, federal statistics and data, the federal workforce, higher education, and more.
Meet COSSAās Policy Intern: Sarah Wang
Sarah Wang started as COSSAās policy intern in May. Before she signs off and enjoys her summer, she provided some reflections from her time at COSSA. How did you learn about COSSA and the opportunity to serve as a policy intern? I initially found the COSSA policy intern position while searching for spring internship opportunities on Handshake, but my interest in the role truly solidified through my work at the time. This past fall, I was a fellow for Her Bold Move, a PAC dedicated to electing pro-choice women. Through the fellowship, I had the opportunity to work with Kenzie Shelstad…
House and Senate Pass Budget Resolution Blueprint
Earlier this month, the Senate passed a budget resolution in a 51-48 vote after an all-night voting marathon, inching closer to enacting President Trumpās priorities around tax breaks (see previous coverage). Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), who cited concerns of increasing the deficit, and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME), who rejected the proposed cuts to Medicaid, were the only Republicans to vote against the resolution. On April 10, the Senateās blueprint passed through the House in a 216 to 214 vote after Sen. Thune agreed to adhere to the Houseās $1.5 trillion in budget cuts to pacify fiscal hawks in the…
ICYMI: Trump Nominates Susan Monarez to Lead CDC
Earlier this month, President Trump nominated Dr. Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, who holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been serving as the acting Director of the CDC following the departure of Dr. Mandy Cohen. As COSSA previously reported, President Trump initially nominated Dr. David Weldon for the role only to abruptly withdraw the nomination hours before his first Senate confirmation hearing. Previously, Monarez served as the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and has held roles at the White House of Office of…
NSB Requests Nominations to Fill Upcoming Vacancies
The National Science Board (NSB) is seeking nominations to fill eight upcoming vacancies for the 2026-2032 term. NSB is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms, with the NSF director serving as a 25th ex officio member. External nominations are considered by the NSB, which will then make recommendations to the White House. New members are appointed by the President of the United States. More information can be found in NSBās Dear Colleague Letter. Nominations can…
Science is US Report Shows How STEMM Workers Power U.S. Industries
On April 3, Science is US released the Science at Work report, an analysis the STEMM workforceās impact on the U.S. economy. The findings reveal that in 2025, 34.1 percent of the U.S. workforce was engaged with STEMM-related roles, contributing $10.87 trillion ā or 39.2 percent ā of the nationās GDP. The report defines the STEMM workforce broadly, encompassing individuals whose primary job functions involve science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine, regardless of the economic sector they may reside in. Acknowledging gaps in STEMM opportunities, the report highlights the need for coordinated efforts among educators, policymakers, and industry leaders to reinforce STEMMās…
Tabbye M. Chavous Named New Executive Director of the American Educational Research Association
On April 7, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) announced that Dr. Tabbye M. Chavous has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the organization, effective August 11, 2025. Dr. Chavous comes to AERA from the University of Michigan, where she is a professor of education and psychology and currently serves as vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. She brings over 25 years of experience and has consistently advocated for high-quality, inclusive research. COSSA looks forward to working with Dr. Chavous and thanks past-Executive Director Felice J. Levine for her service. AERA is a COSSA…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinar on April 29
On April 29, join COSSA for the next installment of the Headlines Webinar series. 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 April 29 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.
Social and Behavioral Scientists Take to Capitol Hill for COSSA’s Social Science Advocacy Day
On March 24-25, COSSA held its annual Social Science Advocacy Day in Washington, DC. Over 70 social and behavioral science researchers, students, and advocates from 17 different states headed to Capitol Hill to meet with more than 60 offices in the House of Representatives and Senate, all carrying a message about the need to prioritize funding for social and behavioral science research. COSSA is especially grateful to the sponsors of this year’s event. Thank you to all involved for making this such an impactful experience and stay tuned for news about Social Science Advocacy Day 2026!
Budget Reconciliation Takes Center Stage; Members of Congress Push Back on Executive Actions
With the fiscal year (FY) 2025 process (mostly) in the rearview mirror following the passage of a full-year continuing resolution (CR) earlier this month, Congress is returning its attention to passing a budget resolution to enact some of the Trump Administrationās top priorities (see previous COSSA coverage). As previously reported by COSSA, the House passed their budget resolution in February that included a permanent extension of the Trump 2017 tax cuts and $1.5 trillion in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending. In order to unlock the reconciliation processāwhich would allow the tax cuts and spending reductions to pass by a simple majority…
Senators Baldwin and Welch Host Town Hall on Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures
On March 26, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT) hosted a Congressional townhall on Trump and Muskās Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures. The event was held in response to efforts by the Administration to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including major reductions in the NIH workforce. The town hall featured remarks from former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli; Dr. Sterling Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor and Associate Director of Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; Dr. Whitney Wharton, Emory University Associate Professor and Alzheimerās Disease researcher; Dr. Larry Saltzman, former Executive Research Director for…