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.
New Fiscal Year Officially Begins, Lawmakers Leave Washington Until November 9
Senators and House Members are now back in their states and districts campaigning ahead of the November midterm elections. Both chambers are expected to reconvene November 9 for the lame duck session. Immediately confronting lawmakers will be the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills, for which Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) last month pushing the deadline to December 11. The path forward for completing the FY 2027 process—FY 2027 officially began on October 1—will likely depend heavily on the outcome of the elections and which party will control each chamber next year. Lawmakers may decide to complete work on…
Senate Republicans Warn Against Grant Terminations at NIH
Six Republican Senators penned a letter to Trump Administration officials last month raising concern about “the potential effects of terminating ongoing, multi-year research grants after significant federal resources have already been invested,” specifically at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Instead, the letter, which is signed by Sens. David H. McCormick (R-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Steve Daines (R-MT), asks that efforts be made to modify funded projects that may not currently align with Administration priorities to “help advance the Administration’s objectives while preserving the value of taxpayer investments already made.”…
Trump Administration Rescinds $810 Million in Appropriated Funds, Lawsuits Pending
The President issued a so-called pocket rescission on September 25 canceling $810 million in already appropriated funding for fiscal year (FY) 2026, citing “wasteful and harmful government spending that does not benefit American citizens.” Within the rescission are cuts for immigration services and several health and education programs, such as the Department of Education’s International Education and Foreign Language programs. Also included are rescissions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health, climate change initiatives, and programs dealing with transgender/gender identity and racism within the healthcare system. The legality of the move is in question….
Deadline Extended for Census RFI on Demographic Questions – Respond by Nov. 2
The original 30-day comment period for a Census Bureau proposed rule, Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions, has been extended to November 2 (originally October 13). If implemented, the proposed rule would mark a significant change to the 2030 Census, specifically by excluding non-U.S. citizens without a green card from apportionment used to set Congressional districts. It would also remove race and ethnicity questions from the decennial. The Census Project has been covering the issue in detail. Given the dramatic changes proposed, the deadline extension for public comment is welcome…
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.
Register Now: An Update on This Year’s Major Science Policy Developments
On September 29, join COSSA for the next Headlines webinar focused on providing an update on some of the most consequential topics impacting science policy and funding. Just in the last few months the social and behavioral science community has been faced with an existential threat to NSF’s SBE Directorate, proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance for grant funding, delays in federal agency award funding, and several other Executive actions that could potentially upend how scientific research is supported and conducted in the U.S. The COSSA team will discuss the status of these activities and outline what you can do…
Senate Launches Bipartisan Science & Innovation Caucus
On September 14, Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) launched a new Bipartisan Science and Innovation Caucus. According to the press release, “Caucus members will work together with industry leaders and the research community to develop policies that promote U.S. leadership in science.” The group plans to hold briefings, roundtable discussions, and “provide a venue for discourse about new legislation to boost American scientific research and our STEM workforce.” The current list of caucus members is not yet available. Congressional caucuses are a tool used to bring together Members of Congress with a shared interest. They do not…
Gold Standard Science at NSF
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is continuing to make changes to its longstanding programs and update its policies, largely at the direction of the White House. Despite being without a Senate confirmed director for more than a year, the transformation of NSF just since 2025 has been significant. ‘A New Golden Age’ Acting NSF Director Brian Stone issued a letter to the scientific community on September 10 outlining the agency’s planned research directions. For example, the letter states that NSF plans to announce a number of Grand Research Challenges in the coming weeks and other initiatives aligned with Administration priorities….
NIH and DOD Sign Agreement Allowing Fund Transfers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have signed an agreement to “support the advanced development of medical countermeasures against pandemic influenza, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and emerging infectious diseases.” Under the agreement, NIH will provide funding, scientific expertise, and access to relevant research and products, while DOD will use its contracting and acquisition infrastructure to fund and manage research and development efforts. The agencies will jointly set research priorities and meet at least quarterly. The agreement itself does not commit funding and is set to remain in effect through September 30,…
National Academies to Host Seminar on Adapting the Federal Statistical Workforce
On September 24, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will host a virtual seminar, Adapting the Federal Statistical Workforce for a Changing Environment. The event will examine how federal statistical agencies are responding to changes in data collection, including declining survey response rates, the growing availability of alternative data sources, advances in artificial intelligence, and developments in statistical modeling. The seminar will also address challenges facing the federal statistical workforce, including budget constraints and reductions in staffing. The seminar will feature discussions on redesigning the federal statistical workforce to support the future of statistical production and building…
Call for Experts: Standing Committee on Use of AI in Science
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking suggestions for experts to participate in the new Standing Committee on Use of AI in Science: Integrity, Trust, and Innovation in the Scientific Enterprise. The committee will examine how artificial intelligence is challenging established norms, standards, and governance mechanisms within scientific research, with particular attention to research trustworthiness, reproducibility, transparency, and alignment with societal values. The committee will host a series of public sessions addressing issues including research integrity and reproducibility, transparency and trustworthiness, authorship and accountability, and peer review. A small group of experts will also develop issue…
CASBS Accepting Applications for 2027-28 Fellowship
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University is now accepting applications for residential fellowships for the 2027-28 academic year. Fellows represent the core social and behavioral sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, history, law, political science, psychology, and sociology) but also the humanities, education, linguistics, communications, and the biological, natural, health, and computer sciences. The fellowship program is for scholars working in a diverse range of disciplines that contribute to advancing research and thinking in social science. Applicants should be scholars and thinkers who are tackling big questions with fresh approaches. Applications for 2027-28 fellowship year…
NSF Skips SBE Funding Opportunity, Limits GRFP Eligibility
Over the summer the National Science Foundation (NSF) took several actions that appear to further the Administration’s plans to shut down the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE). As COSSA has been reporting, the President’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2027 included a proposal to dismantle the SBE directorate and spread any remaining SBE activities across other directorates. While the proposal is intended for implementation next fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2026, the research community has been raising concerns that actions are already being taken to downsize SBE this year. Two recent actions provide further evidence of the…
COSSA Releases 2025 Annual Report
COSSA’s 2025 Annual Report is now available. Read it to learn more about COSSA’s activities and successes over the past year. Find out how your organization can become a member of COSSA on our website.
Congress Delays Funding Bills to December, Temporarily Blocks Uniform Guidance Changes
As previously reported, before leaving Washington for summer recess the House and Senate each passed versions of a continuing resolution (CR) aimed at avoiding a government shutdown when the fiscal year ends September 30. With the chambers passing different versions of the bill, negotiations on a final CR needed to wait until lawmakers returned to Washington earlier this month. The House passed the Senate version of the CR on September 1, thereby sending it to the President for signature. The funding patch gives members of Congress until December 11 to finalize the FY 2027 appropriations bills, punting the debate until after…
Education Department Latest Agency to Propose Changes to Grant Rules
The U.S. Department of Education has proposed significant changes to its grant regulations that could affect colleges and universities, state education agencies, school districts, and other federal grantees. The proposed rule, published August 24, 2026, is open for public comment through September 23, 2026. The proposal incorporates several concepts from the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed revisions to the Uniform Guidance (see COSSA’s coverage). Those broader changes have been delayed amid congressional action (see related story), but the Education Department’s proposal signals that federal agencies appear to be moving forward with similar reforms absent a finalized OMB rule. The National Science Foundation (NSF)…
American Physical Society Seeking Input into the Future of NSF
The American Physical Society (APS) is seeking partnerships with the broader research community to develop recommendations to potentially shape the future activities of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The initiative, called NSF Forward, welcomes ideas from all disciplines and sectors. Submissions are due September 14.
Save the Date: 2026 AERA Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research
Join the American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing member, for the 2026 Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research on November 5, 2026 at 6:00pm EST. The lecture will feature Daniel Solorzano, professor of social science and comparative education and Chicana/o and Central American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of UCLA’s Center for Critical Race Studies in Education. The lecture will be presented before a small, invited in-person audience and livestreamed for the public. Registration information for the free livestream is coming soon. In the meantime, mark your calendar and plan to join for this timely…
ASA Releases Report on Remaking the National Center for Education Statistics
On August 25, The American Statistical Association (ASA) released A Vision and Strategy for Remaking the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a report from the ASA’s project on re-envisioning NCES. The ASA’s project on re-envisioning NCES brings together expertise from across the federal statistics and education policy communities to help chart a path forward for the agency following its dismantling in early 2025. The project builds on the ASA’s related work assessing the health of the federal statistical system, including its ongoing assessment of the health of federal statistics. Drawing on roundtable discussions with stakeholders across the education and statistical communities,…