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
House Republicans Delay Markups; Reconciliation Subject to āByrd Bathā
As previously reported, the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process is well underway with the House reviewing multiple bills, most recently the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill; the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill; the Homeland Security bill; the Defense bill, and the Legislative Branch bill. The House has also released subcommittee allocationsāor topline funding levelsāfor the bills already drafted. The other subcommittees have yet to receive their allocations, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) and Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) subcommittees. On June 18, the House Appropriations committee announced a delay in…
Bhattacharya Defends NIH Budget Request to Senate Appropriators
As the Congressional appropriations process continues, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was invited to defend the Presidentās FY 2026 before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee (see COSSAās analysis). Under the Presidentās budget, the NIH would see steep budget cuts and a major restructuring that would reduce the institutes and centers (ICs) from 27 to 8. Throughout the hearing, Bhattacharya fielded questions on the impacts of these proposals on the research community and dismissed concerns, claiming that the proposal is the starting point of a budget…
All Eyes on Indirect Costs
On June 17, Republican leaders of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting that the non-partisan āCongressional watchdogā conduct a comprehensive review of the indirect costs associated with federal research funding. The request comes amid increased attention by lawmakers on indirect costs following the Trump Administrationās effort to set a flat 15 percent rate for facilities and administrative (F&A) costs for grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), NASA, and Department of Defense (see previous coverage). These efforts are currently stalled as a…
Latest from the White House (June 24)
āForward Fundingā by NIH the New Norm? As COSSA has been reporting, the Trump Administration released details of its fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget proposal last month (see related article), which not only includes major funding reductions for federal science agencies, but also major shifts in policy. One such shift is how research grants would be funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to the NIH budget request, the agency plans to ācontinue the FY 2025 policy of reserving half of NIH funding allocated toward competing research project grant (RPG) awards for awards that fully fund their outyear commitments…
NIH Employees Outline Concerns in āBethesda Declarationā
On June 9, more than 340 scientists and staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement criticizing their agencyās leadership for politicizing research. The āBethesda Declaration,ā which as of today includes 484 signatories, urges NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and other leaders to reverse course on budget reductions, workforce terminations, elimination of research related to DEI, undermining of the peer review process, and instituting a blanket 15 percent indirect cost rate, among others. It is exceptionally rare for federally employees to publicly protest and criticize their own agency. In response, an open letter in support of the Bethesda Declaration has…
Kennedy Fires Then Appoints New Members Vaccine Committee
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismissed all 17 members of the HHS Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal panel that makes vaccine policy recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The committee was formed in 1964 and has largely been comprised of experts in medicine, public health, and immunology. Following the abrupt decision, Secretary Kennedy announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) the appointment of 8 new members to the committee, including Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD; Martin Kulldorff, MD, PhD; Retsef Levi, PhD; Robert W….
Congress Begins FY 26 Appropriations; Reconciliation Remains Uncertain
Following a brief recess for Memorial Day, Congress has returned ready to tackle both budget reconciliation and fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations. As previously reported by COSSA, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) passed through the House in a 215-214 vote in late May, sending the tax policy package to the Senate. Many members of the Senate have since indicated that the bill would likely see many changes before passing their chamber, and, more recently, House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA), have come out against the bill, expressing regret for having voted for it. Despite Speaker Mike Johnsonās (R-LA) self-imposed…
House and Senate Hold Policy and Budget Hearings on the Dept. of Education
With the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process ramping up, Congress has been holding hearings on budget and policy priorities for various departments and agencies, including the Department of Education. On June 3, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee invited Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to defend the departmentās FY 2026 budget request. The following day, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing āExamining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education,ā with Secretary McMahon again testifying before the committee. The Senate LHHS budget hearing focused on the detailed…
House Science Committee Democrats Want to Hear from PIs
The Democratic staff of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee have released aĀ surveyĀ to collect information on the impacts that grant cancellations by the Trump Administration are having on the scientific community. Researchers who have had their research grants terminated or otherwise affected since January 20 are encouraged to respond to theĀ survey.
Latest from the White House (June 10)
Presidentās Budget for Next Year would Decimate Federal Science Funding On May 30, the Trump Administration began releasing additional details of its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2026, which begins on October 1. [Note: The FY 2026 budget request is different from the āOne Big Beautiful Billā that is working its way through Congress (see COSSAās coverage for clarification)]. While the entire budget is not yet available for certain federal agencies, the details that are available include massive cuts to agency budgets and major structural reorganizations. As always, COSSA is producing an in-depth analysis of the Presidentās FY 2026 budget request. Until then, a few…
Trump Science Advisor Outlines Science Vision
On May 19, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) hosted a conversation with Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). A recording is available here. A discussion with NAS President Marcia McNutt followed Kratsiosā remarks. Kratsios expressed strong opinions about the current state of the U.S. scientific enterprise, stating, āTo empower Americaās researchers to achieve groundbreaking discoveries and to reinvigorate our national science enterprise, we must scrutinize our existing approach and recommit ourselves to best practices.ā He contended that despite āsoaringā biomedical research budgets in recent years, āscientific progress has stalled,ā and that āmore…
Dr. Amber Northern Tasked with Reforming IES
On May 30, the Department of Education welcomed Dr. Amber Northern as Senior Advisor, announcing that she will be tasked with reforming the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). In the departmentās announcement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon was quoted: āAs we return education to the states, itās essential that educators have access to accurate data to inform their work and develop best practices. Dr. Northernās deep expertise in education statistics and years of experience in the classroom will be an asset as we re-envision the work of IES.ā Northern serves as Senior Vice President for Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute…
NASEM Hosts Second Annual State of the Science Address
On June 3, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted the State of the Science Address, an annual discussion on the status of science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) in the U.S. (see previous COSSA coverage). During her opening remarks, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Marcia McNutt, discussed the decline of the STEM workforce and interest in research and development (R&D) in the U.S., comparing the U.S. to global competitors, such as China. She briefly discussed the significant budget cuts and grant cancellations proposed by the Trump Administration, and the detrimental impacts they would have on the…
Now Available: May Headlines Webinar Recording
On May 21, COSSA hosted the most recent installment in the Headlines Webinar series. Mayās meeting focused on the many challenges confronting higher education in this new political reality and featured guest speaker Tobin Smith, Senior Vice President for Government Relations & Public Policy at the Association of American Universities (AAU). The recording is available to view here. Recordings of previous Headlines webinars can be found on the COSSA website. Check back often for newly announced webinars.
House Passes Reconciliation Package; Senate Considering Changes
On May 22, the House of Representatives passed their reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), in a 215-214 vote. The bill included sweeping cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other welfare programs to pay for President Trumpās new tax plan as well as additional funding for immigration enforcement and border security. As previously reported by COSSA, the budget reconciliation process has been controversial, even among Republican members of Congress. Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) were the only two Republicans to vote against the ābig, beautiful bill.ā Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) voted…
Congress Hosts HHS Secretary Kennedy for FY 2026 Budget Hearings
As the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process gets underway, Congress invited Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to defend the agencyās budget request in both chambers (see previous COSSA coverage). On May 14, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held separate hearings while the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee held their respective hearing on May 20. In both chambers, Congress raised concerns over FY 2025, questioning Secretary Kennedy on whether the agency is withholding funding that has been appropriated by Congress, which…
House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Department of Education Budget Hearing
On May 21, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee held a hearing about the Department of Educationās budget request for the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifying for the committee. The hearing was sharply divided, with subcommittee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), extensively questioning Secretary McMahon about the Trump Administrationās decimation of the Department. Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and the committeeās other Republican members praised the proposed cuts and focused their questioning on other aspects of the proposed budget, such as school choice….
Welch, Baldwin Host Two-Day Forum to Spotlight How Americans are Harmed by Trumpās HHS Actions
Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) held a two-day forum to spotlight how Americans are being harmed by the Trump Administrationās mass firings at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This comes after the Senators hosted a similar townhall on Trump and Muskās Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures (see previous COSSA coverage). During the two-day forum, Sens. Welch and Baldwin invited former federal agencies officials, including Dr. Anne Schuchat, former Principal Deputy Director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ms. Trina Dutta, former Chief of Staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health…
Senators, Science Leaders Discuss NSF Cuts
Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) hosted a press event on May 20 to discuss the impacts Trump Administration actions are having on the U.S. scientific enterprise and, in particular, the National Science Foundation (NSF). Sen. Cantwell serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has oversight over the NSF. In her opening remarks, Cantwell noted that at the time of the event, the Administration has terminated 1,530 research grants totaling more than $1 billion. In addition, the President is seeking a 55 percent cut to NSF in the fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget….
Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly Passes Away
Longtime Northern Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) passed away on May 21 after a battle with esophageal cancer; Connolly announced his cancer diagnosis in November. First elected to the House of Representatives in 2008, Rep. Connolly had been a vocal advocate for the federal workforce, many of whom reside in his suburban DC district. His website includes resources for federal employees who have been affected by Trump Administration actions. Connolly has also been a longtime advocate for mental health. Rep. Connolly introduced the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act on May 20 prior to his passing.