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: First Headlines of 2026!
On January 29, join COSSA for the first Headlines webinar of the year. The COSSA Staff will cover recent key policy updates and what the future holds for advocacy in 2026. Register now and join the conversation. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
Social Science Advocacy Day: Register Now for Informational Webinar
COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is BACK and will take place March 23-24, 2026 in Washington, DC! This annual event brings together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country. Together, we’ll meet with elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Early Bird Registration is open! Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing and don’t forget to check out our sponsorship opportunities (some including free regsitrations). Curious about Social Science Advocacy Day 2026? Join us for an informational webinar! We will be hosting a session…
Congress Returns from Two-Week; Appropriations Front and Center
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress closed out 2025 with a continuing resolution (CR) that ended a historic 43-day government shutdown and punted the appropriations deadline for fiscal year (FY) 2026 to January 31. While there were rumors of a potential second year-long CR for FY 2026, Congress returned from their two-week recess with agreements on final funding levels for several remaining bills. Last week, House and Senate leaders released a three-bill package that includes the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill—which provides funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Institute…
ICYMI: House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Research Security
On December 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33. Witnesses included Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation (NSF); Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined by House SST Chairman Brian…
Congressional Shake-Ups in the New Year
Following a year of unexpected federal workforce reductions, budget cuts and grant cancellations, and political uncertainty, lawmakers have returned for the second session of the 119th Congress with the 2026 midterm elections looming this November. Several Members of Congress have unexpectedly resigned, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) following a public fall-out with President Trump in 2025. Other members have announced their retirement at the end of the term, including Senators Thomas Tillis (R-NC) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who both have publicly opposed the Trump Administration. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has served in Congress for 39 years and made…
CRS Reports Explain Recent Changes to NIH Grantmaking
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently released reports explaining some of the notable changes in grants policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CRS is a component of the Library of Congress and is required by law to provide Members of Congress and staff with timely, confidential, and nonpartisan research and analysis on issues of national policy, as requested. Reports do not provide policy recommendations, but instead, ensure that Members of Congress are given the best possible information on which they can base policy decisions. While directed at Congress, many CRS reports are publicly available and can serve as…
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.
Latest from the White House (January 13)
In December, the White House released the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). Administrations have been issuing PMAs since the George W. Bush presidency in 2001. The agendas represent the President’s 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 predecessor’s agendas to ensure continuity in government improvement. However, the Trump Administration’s 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 “cumbersome regulation” at the federal level through the establishment of a “minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI.” Until national standards governing AI can be established, the EO directs the Attorney General to form an “AI Litigation Task Force” 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…
NSF Seeks Input on New Tech Labs Initiative—Due January 20
The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating “practical research with real-world applications.” Tech Labs will support research, development and innovation (RDI) teams “focused on overcoming persistent barriers to the commercialization of emerging technologies.” According to the announcement, these teams “will focus on technical challenges and bottlenecks that traditional university and industry labs cannot easily solve on their own.” NSF is seeking public input through a request for information. Comments are due January 20. In addition, NSF is hosting an informational webinar on January 14 (register here).
National Science Board Releases Anticipated Merit Review Report
As previously reported, the National Science Board (NSB), which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), created a Commission on Merit Review in 2023 to take a fresh look at NSF’s current merit review criteria and make recommendations for potential improvement or modernization. After several delays, the Commission released its report on December 17. The report, Merit Review for a Changing Landscape, contains an in-depth evaluation of NSF’s longstanding review process and makes several recommendations, including: The release of the NSB report comes on the heels of new Merit Review rules that took effect December 15, 2025. Among the changes announced…
PAA Holds Congressional Briefing on U.S. Fertility Trends
On December 10, the Population Association of America (PAA), a COSSA governing member, and the Association of Population Centers (APC) hosted a Congressional briefing, “U.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for U.S. Families.” The in-person event drew interest from almost 100 registrants representing the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, National Institutes of Health, Government Accountability Office, National Academies of Science, Congressional Research Service, a range of scientific and health stakeholder organizations, and the media. The event was moderated by Dr. Jennifer Sciubba, President and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, and featured presentations by Dr. Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Director…
Reminder to Register: Final Headlines Webinar of 2025!
On December 10, join COSSA for the final Headlines webinar of the year. We will cover key policy developments and Congressional activity that affected the social and behavioral sciences in 2025 and preview what’s ahead for 2026. Register now and join the conversation. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
Social Science Advocacy Day: Early Bird Registration is Open
COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is BACK and will take place March 23-24, 2026 in Washington, DC! This annual event brings together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country. Together, we’ll meet with elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Early Bird Registration is officially open! Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing and don’t forget to check out our sponsorship opportunities (some including free regsitrations).
Appropriations Bills Stalled; Congress to Consider NDAA
As the year approaches its end, Congress is still working to finish the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. Most of the federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that gives lawmakers until January 30, 2026 to complete their work (reminder: the new fiscal year began on October 1). With the upcoming two-week recess for the holidays, Congress is on a tight deadline. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS),…
Equal Representation Act
On December 2, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 151). The act, which was led by Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC), seeks to include a citizenship question on the decennial census and exclude non-citizens from congressional apportionment. COSSA signed onto a letter to Congress led by the Population Association of America (PAA), a COSSA governing member, earlier this year opposing this legislation as these changes could potentially undermine participation in the decennial census and, therefore, ultimately diminish the quality and utility of decennial census data. This could have devastating effects for researchers that rely on the data. There…
Cassidy Urges CDC to Reject ACIP’s New Hepatitis B Recommendation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met earlier this month for their final meeting of the year. During their meeting, ACIP voted in favor (8-3) of reversing the recommendation that the Hepatitis B vaccine be administered to children at birth regardless of if the mother is negative for the virus or doesn’t know their status. A recording of the meeting is available here and the recommendation is expected to be posted here. Before the meeting took place, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who served as a physician prior to…
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 “call for a comprehensive assessment of how the federal government prioritizes and structures scientific research.” The RFI is asking stakeholders to respond to 13 questions that “will inform the formulation of Executive branch efforts to advance and maintain U.S. S&T leadership.” 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 “Implementing a Unified NIH Funding Strategy to Guide Consistent and Clearer Award Decisions.” The notice follows on an August statement from the NIH Director. The framework describes a need to “balance many competing and dynamic factors when determining the most meritorious research ideas to support,” 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…