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.
Latest from the White House (July 8)
Additional Guidance on “Gold Standard Science” As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science. On June 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memorandum to federal agencies providing additional guidance on how to comply with the order. Federal agencies are directed to report to OSTP on steps taken to comply with the EO by August 22. A primary criticism of the EO and accompanying guidance has less to do with the order itself—which focuses on reproducibility, transparency, unbiased peer review, and other common research tenets—and more to do with its calling for…
NIH Suspends Gain of Function Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a notice to inform the biomedical research community of a termination of funding for gain-of-function research outside of the U.S. and a suspension of funding for any other projects or programs relating to gain-of-function research. Gain-of-function research has been a point of contention for many Congressional Republicans since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the research (see previous COSSA coverage). The notice, which was prompted by a guidance to NIH by the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), is in-line with the Administration’s Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research,…
Dr. Matthew Soldner Appointed Acting Commissioner of NCES
On July 7, the Department of Education announced that Dr. Matthew Soldner will serve as Acting Commissioner of the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical arm of the agency that develops key surveys such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). He is also currently serving as the Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Soldner previously served as IES’s Commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. He will replace Dr. Peggy Carr who was abruptly placed on administrative leave earlier this year…
RFI Opportunity: NSF TIP Directorate Technology Areas, Due 7/21
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public input into its current list of “key technology focus areas” to guide the work of the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate. Comments are due by July 21, 2025. The TIP Directorate was created in 2022 to support “use-inspired” research with the goal of “fostering innovation and technology ecosystems, establishing translation pathways, and partnering across sectors to engage the nation’s diverse talent.” Included in its authorizing legislation was a list of ten initial key technology focus areas, set by Congress, that the Directorate was tasked to address in its first three years. These included: artificial intelligence and machine learning; high…
EPA Employees Stand Up to Leadership
Following up on the Bethesda Declaration signed by employees from the National Institutes of Health in June, more than 600 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have signed a Declaration of Dissent addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. In it, employees raise five primary concerns about actions taken by EPA leadership or the Trump Administration, including: (1) undermining public trust, (2) ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters, (3) reversing EPA’s progress in America’s most vulnerable communities, (4) dismantling the Office of Research and Development, and (5) promoting a culture of fear, forcing staff to choose between their livelihood and well-being. Additional details are…
NAS Accepting Nominations for 2026 Awards
Nominations are now being accepted for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) awards to be presented in 2026. Since 1886, the National Academy of Sciences has honored more than 1,000 individuals in the physical, biological, and social sciences through its awards program. 2026 Awards will be given in a variety of fields including artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics, medical sciences, social sciences, psychology, and more. See the full list of awards here. Submissions will be accepted through Oct. 6, 2025. Learn more about the awards and the submission process here.
Call for Applications: NASEM’s Mirzayan Fellowship
The application window for the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is now open. This 12-week fellowship is intended for current or recent graduate students to gain a broader understanding of science and technology policy as well as to explore possible career prospects that engage science and policy communities. The newest session will run from March 2, 2026 to May 22, 2026. More information on how to apply is available here and the deadline to apply is August 20, 2025.
AAPSS Calls for Nominations for 2026 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) has announced their call for nominations for the 2026 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize in Social Science and Public Policy. The Moynihan Prize is an annual honor created to recognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgment to advance the public good. The winner will deliver the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lecture on Social Science and Public Policy in Washington, DC, next fall. Nominations will be accepted through November 1, 2025 and can be submitted on the AAPSS website. AAPSS is a COSSA member organization. Learn more about the Moynihan…
COSSA Releases Part 1 of the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request for Social and Behavioral Science Analysis
On May 3, the Trump Administration released preliminary, high-level details of its fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request, referred to as a “skinny budget.” On May 30, additional details emerged. Given the delay in this year’s budget release, COSSA is delivering its annual analysis of the President’s budget request in two parts. This first part contains our analysis of the Trump Administration’s FY 2026 funding proposals for the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and National Science Foundation. The second part will include details on all remaining agencies important to the social and behavioral…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinar on June 26
On June 26, join COSSA for the next installment in the Headlines Webinar series. This month’s meeting will focus on the release of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget and what it means for the social and behavioral sciences. Come join the conversation. Featured speakers: The webinar will be taking place on June 26 at 2pm EST. Register here. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
House Republicans Delay Markups; Reconciliation Subject to “Byrd Bath”
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 allocations—or topline funding levels—for 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 President’s FY 2026 before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee (see COSSA’s analysis). Under the President’s 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 “Congressional watchdog” 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 Administration’s 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)
‘Forward Funding’ 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 “continue 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 ‘Bethesda Declaration’
On June 9, more than 340 scientists and staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement criticizing their agency’s leadership for politicizing research. The “Bethesda Declaration,” 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 Johnson’s (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 department’s FY 2026 budget request. The following day, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education,” 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 a survey 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 the survey.
Latest from the White House (June 10)
President’s 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 “One Big Beautiful Bill” that is working its way through Congress (see COSSA’s 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 President’s FY 2026 budget request. Until then, a few…