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.
Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee Meets for the First Time
As previously reported by COSSA, the Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee (I-CSAC) met on September 18 to discuss several items that were scheduled to be reviewed by the federal advisory committee prior to its abrupt termination, including the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance System; Determining the Privacy Loss Budget for the IRS Use Case; and the Environmental Impacts Frame. Barbara Entwisle, who served as the Chair of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), began the meeting by emphasizing that the goal of the independent committee is to continue to “provide scientific expertise” and “constructive feedback” to ensure an accurate and timely 2030…
NASEM Hosts a Webinar on Continuing Social-Environmental Research with Little to No Funding
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in collaboration with the Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN), the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS), and the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) hosted a webinar titled “Opportunities for Doing Social-Environmental Research with Little to No Funding.” Following actions made by the Trump Administration to cut research funding and terminate grants, the webinar sought to equip researchers with creative ways to fund their research (see previous COSSA coverage). NASEM offered potential ways to cut down on costs, including utilizing secondary sources as well as meta-analysis. Furthermore, they highlighted local field studies…
SSRC Launches Search for Next President
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) announced that they have opened the search for its next President. Applications and nominations are now invited, with an appointment anticipated in early 2026. SSRC is a COSSA member organization. SSRC is seeking a social scientist with a record of scholarly, programmatic, and institutional innovation; broad intellectual interests; and the ability to connect and collaborate across disciplines, institutions, and geographies. The President will lead efforts to nurture new generations of social scientists, deepen inquiry, and bring necessary knowledge to bear on urgent public issues. Learn more about the search process and how to apply on SSRC’s website.
ASA Accepting Nominations for 2026 Annual Awards
The American Sociological Association (ASA) announced that it is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Annual Awards. ASA is a COSSA governing member organization. Find out about all the award categories, including the new recognition for early career sociologists, the “Early Career Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship Award.” The deadline for submissions is January 1, 2026. Learn more on the ASA Awards website.
Read COSSA’s Analysis of the FY 2026 House LHHS Appropriations Bill for Federal Science Agencies
On September 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations bill, which provides annual appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Education, Department of Labor, and other agencies. The Senate advanced its bill in July (see COSSA’s analysis). The House bill is a mixed bag for the science agencies important to the COSSA community. Similar to the Senate bill, the Committee rejects the President’s proposals to reduce the NIH budget by 40 percent, cut CDC by…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinar on September 23
On September 23, join COSSA for the next installment in the 2025 Headlines Webinar series. The COSSA team will be providing updates on recent policy and funding developments impacting the social and behavioral science community, discuss Congress’ plans for averting a government shutdown (or not), and analyze the latest actions taking by the Trump Administration. Join the conversation. The webinar will be taking place on September 23 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.
COSSA Releases Analysis of House LHHS Bill; Congress Considers Short-Term CR as End of Fiscal Year Approaches
As the appropriations deadline rapidly approaches on September 30, both chambers of Congress remain far from completing their twelve annual spending bills. While individual appropriations bills continue to inch forward (see related article), attention in Congress has turned to drafting a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown in two weeks. Earlier today, the House Republicans released the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21 to allow lawmakers additional time to finalize the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. In their release, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) also included a section-by-section explainer on the proposed…
HHS Secretary Kennedy on the President’s 2026 Health Care Agenda and CDC Leadership Shakeup
On September 4, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to address the President’s 2026 health care agenda. Several members of the Committee used the opportunity to question Secretary Kennedy on the recent termination of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez and the Administration’s vaccine policy and recommendations, as well as their priorities for improving rural health. In their opening remarks, Senator Crapo (R-ID), Chairman of the Finance Committee, expressed his support for Secretary Kennedy’s leadership of HHS, noting the Secretary’s commitment to ending “waste, fraud, and abuse in…
Latest from the White House (September 16)
Federal Agencies Issue Gold Standard Science Implementation Plans As previously reported, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) in May on Restoring Gold Standard Science, which aims to address what the Administration sees as a “reproducibility crisis” caused by “falsification of data” and “highly misleading research.” As part of the order, federal science agencies were given until August 22 to develop implementation plans for ensuring compliance with guidance provided by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in June. In response, federal science agencies have publicly posted their implementation plans. While each addressed the Gold Standard EO differently, they all…
White House Doubles Down on Accusations of BLS Data Being Falsified
On September 5, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a downward revision of the jobs report. Ahead of the release of the jobs report, the Friends of BLS coalition released a Q&A about the job report, which details how the report is estimated and revised in a transparent and objective manner. However, the Administration published the article, BLS Revisions Show President Trump Was Right — Again, and again baselessly claimed that the jobs report was falsified. As a reminder, the Trump Administration fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the last jobs report was released with similar findings (see previous COSSA coverage). On September 11, the…
Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee to Meet
On September 18, the Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee (I-CSAC), of which COSSA Board Member Sara Curran from the University of Washington is a member, is set to meet for the first time. I-CSAC, which was founded following the unprecedented termination of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, is accepting public comments that will be shared during the meeting (see COSSA sign-on letter opposing the termination of the committee). Comments can be submitted to CensusScientific@gmail.com until September 17 at noon ET. The agenda can be viewed here and the meeting will broadcasted live to the public here.
NASEM Releases Report on Simplifying Research Regulations and Policies
The Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has released a report, Simplifying Research Regulations and Policies: Optimizing American Science. The report praises the success of the U.S. scientific research enterprise while acknowledging that, as science has become more applicable and useful across varying disciplines, there has been a dramatic increase in federal oversight. It cites estimates that U.S. academic researchers today spend more than 40 percent of their research time on administrative and regulatory compliance. While federal regulations on scientific work can ensure research excellence, the current regulatory system can hinder…
Register for AERA’s 22nd Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research
On October 23, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) will host the 22nd Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research. The annual lecture aims to illuminate the important role of research in advancing understanding of equality and equity in education. The 2025 lecture is titled, “Rethinking Brown When Diversity and Equity are Imperiled and Democracy Is Fragile” and will be delivered by James A. Banks, the Kerry and Linda Killinger Endowed Chair in Diversity Studies Emeritus and founding director of the Center for Multicultural Education (now the Banks Center for Educational Justice) at the University of Washington. AERA is a COSSA governing member organization. Register…
CASBS Accepting Applications for 2026-27 Fellowship
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University is now accepting applications for residential fellowships for the 2026-27 academic year. Applicants should be scholars and thinkers who are tackling big questions with fresh approaches. CASBS especially appreciate scholars who value discussion across fields, unencumbered by disciplinary boundaries. An academic year at the Center provides fellows freedom to work on consequential projects, a location that affords them access to research and colleagues at Stanford and Silicon Valley, and a collaborative environment that encourages fellows to broaden their perspectives. The Center encourages those from diverse backgrounds, institutions, and countries…
NEW ACTION ALERTS: Prioritize Science Funding and Oppose the So-Called Equal Representation Act
Two new Action Alerts have been published in the COSSA Action Center: Urge Congress to Prioritize Science Funding! Over the past few months, Congressional appropriators have been drafting key legislation that will determine funding for federal science and statistical agencies for the next year. With the proposed massive budget and staffing cuts in the Presidential Budget Request, the stakes have never been higher. While Congress is likely to pass another year-long continuing resolution (CR), it is essential that our community fights for federal science funding and the scientific workforce. Now is the time to ACT! Write to your Members of Congress urging their support for…
COSSA Releases 2024 Annual Report
COSSA’s 2024 Annual Report is now available. Check it out 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 Returns from August Recess; House to Consider LHHS Bill
Congress has returned from their August recess prepared to tackle appropriations as the end of the fiscal year (FY) rapidly approaches. As previously reported by COSSA, both the House and the Senate have released their Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bills but only the Senate has released their Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill before leaving for the break (see COSSA’s analyses here). While it’s unlikely they’ll manage to finalize any of their bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, the House LHHS Appropriations subcommittee plans to mark up their version of the LHHS bill later…
Latest from the White House (September 2)
Executive Order Seeks to Mandate Political Review of Grant Awards On August 7, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO) on Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking. This is a sweeping order that seeks to place several new requirements on federal grantmaking agencies, including science agencies. The EO states, “Every tax dollar the Government spends should improve American lives or advance American interests. This often does not happen.” It continues, “…the best proposals do not always receive funding, and there is too much unfocused research of marginal social utility.” [emphasis added] In response, the EO calls for each federal grantmaking agency to create…
NIH Grant Terminations Upheld, For Now
On August 21, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can once again terminate grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A district court overturned the original terminations in June as part of a lawsuit brought by higher education and public health associations and 16 states; however, the Supreme Court found that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the terminations. Instead, the ruling states that plaintiffs must file suit in Federal Claims court in order to receive a final decision. A similar ruling was issued in August related to grants terminated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). While the ruling leaves federal funding…