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.
COSSA’s Analysis of the FY 2027 House LHHS Appropriations Bill for Federal Science Agencies
On June 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2027 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. This is the latest bill advanced by the Committee as part of Chairman Tom Cole’s (R-OK) plan to consider all 12 annual spending bills by the July 4 break. While the Senate was scheduled to begin marking up their bills this month, more pressing issues delayed the chamber which…
Register Now: Guidance on OMB’s Proposed Rule
On July 1, join COSSA for the next Headlines Webinar focused on providing guidance on the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Proposed Rule. OMB issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025. Public comments are being accepted through July 13. This webinar will provide COSSA members with guidance on how best to respond to the proposed rule. Register now and join…
Senate Departs for July Recess After Appropriations Markups Delayed
Over the weekend, the Senate departed Capitol Hill for a two-week July 4 recess, and are not scheduled to return until July 13, leaving only a few weeks until August recess to consider their appropriations bills. Before their departure, the Senate Appropriations Committee again delayed consideration of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The bill, which was originally scheduled for June 4 and rescheduled for June 25, was postponed alongside several other appropriations bills (see previous coverage). According to recent reports, the Senate Republicans’ dwindling majority amidst the recent hospitalization of…
House Science Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Federal Research Funds
On June 24, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Hearing – Safeguarding Federal Research Funds: The False Claims Act’s Role in Combating Grant Fraud. Witnesses included Robert Steinau, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of the Inspector General; Jennifer Springmann, Special Agent in Charge, National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of the Inspector General; and Brenna Jenny, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice (DOJ). Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) began the hearing by expressing concern…
Resources for Commenting on OMB Proposed Rule
As previously reported, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025, many of great concern to the research community. Public comments are being accepted through July 13. COSSA is holding a members-only webinar on July 1 at 2:00 pm ET to provide guidance to members planning to comment. As of this writing, more than 70,000 public comments have been submitted. Many scientific…
NSF Seeks Comment on Grant Policy Revisions, Due Aug. 24
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to its grant policies. The changes are intended to bring NSF’s policy in line with the White House Office of Management and Budget’s sweeping proposed revisions to federal grant regulations released in late May (see related article). The draft would revise grant termination provisions, prohibit charging publication costs to awards, and eliminate references to fixed-price awards. It also clarifies that recovery of indirect costs on NSF awards is subject to the availability of funds, meaning organizations may not be able to recover their full negotiated indirect cost rates if award…
House Advances LHHS Bill, Senate Delays Markups
On June 5, the House Appropriations Committee released the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The bill was advanced out of the committee in a 34 to 28 vote along party lines. Earlier this year, the President’s request called for sweeping cuts to the federal agencies that fund social and behavioral science research (see analysis). While the House bill still includes cuts to several agencies, the House has largely rejected the deep cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. Notably, exceptions include several programs housed under the Department of Education,…
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.
More than 8,000 Federal Employees Reclassified
As previously reported, the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) finalized a rule in February that expands the use of the excepted service by creating “Schedule Policy/Career,” a new category covering career employees in policy-influencing roles (see previous coverage). While OPM frames the change as a way to improve accountability and responsiveness, critics warn it weakens long-standing civil service protections. On June 3, President Trump signed an executive order officially reclassifying roughly 8,000 federal employees, making it easier for agencies to fire workers in policy-influencing roles. The Administration says the change will improve accountability while preserving merit-based hiring and whistleblower protections. Critics, including labor…
Research Community Organizing Around OMB Proposed Rule
As previously reported, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule in late May that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule seeks to implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders and other actions taken since January 2025. Public comments will be accepted through July 13; public requests that the 45-day comment period be extended have been denied by OMB. As the research community prepares to respond, scientific and higher education groups are providing guidance to help make sense of the more than 400-page proposed…
Register Now: Federal Justice Statistics Program Webinar
On June 25 at 1:00pm EST, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) will be hosting a Federal Justice Statistics Program Webinar. BJS statisticians will present an in-depth introduction to the Federal Justice Statistics Program. During the webinar, attendees will learn how to: Whether you’re a researcher, policy analyst, criminal justice professional, student, or interested member of the public, this webinar will equip you with valuable tools to navigate federal justice statistics. Register now on the BJS website.
NASEM Hosts Third Annual State of the Science Address
On June 2, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted the State of the Science Address, an annual review of the status of the U.S.’s research enterprise, science innovation, and global science leadership (see previous coverage). During her address, NASEM President Marcia McNutt reiterated a concern from her 2025 address—that the U.S. scientific research enterprise is weakening as American and international researchers pursue research opportunities outside of the U.S. McNutt discussed the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) recently proposed rule titled Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (see COSSA’s coverage here). McNutt raised concerns that this rule would take…
Remembering Ken Prewitt
Earlier this month the COSSA community lost one of its most stalwart champions and dedicated public servants, Dr. Kennith Prewitt. Ken’s connections with COSSA run deep, having served numerous positions at COSSA member universities, as director of NORC at the University of Chicago, president of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), and president of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS). He was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve as Director of the Census Bureau (1998-2001). During his time at SSRC in the early 1980s, Ken was responsible for assisting with the launch of COSSA. He later…
COSSA Welcomes the University of Oregon as its Newest Member
COSSA is thrilled to welcome the University of Oregon as its newest member! UO is a leading public research institution and currently ranks 26th on COSSA’s annual list of top universities competing for federal social and behavioral science research funding. COSSA’s full membership list can be found here. Information on how to join is on the COSSA website.
2027 LSA Awards Nominations are Open
The Lingustic Society of America (LSA), a COSSA member organization, announced that they are now accepting nominations for several of their annual awards. Each year, LSA recognizes a wide range of contributions to the discipline of linguistics through the bestowal of awards. Learn about a specific award, the nomination and selection process, view a list of past winners, and submit a nomination on the LSA awards webpage. Deadline for a majoirty of the awards is June 30, 2026.
White House Proposes Sweeping Changes to Federal Grant Rules – Comments Due July 13
At the end of May, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, that would make major changes to the Uniform Guidance governing federal financial assistance, including federal research grants. The rule would implement proposals made by the Trump Administration through various executive orders over the last year, including the Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking order and Restoring Gold Standard Science order, among others. Among the changes are, but not limited to: Proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance have been anticipated for several months. Still the sweeping nature of the changes, if implemented, would fundamentally alter the…
Register Now: COSSA Town Hall: Updates on Efforts to Save SBE & Other NSF Issues
It has been a particularly challenging few months for the National Science Foundation (NSF), between a massive, proposed budget cut, removal of members of the National Science Board (NSB), and the proposal to eliminate the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE). Along with our many partners across the STEM enterprise, COSSA has been working tirelessly to urge Congress to reject the President’s proposal to eliminate the SBE Directorate in FY 2027. We have also been engaging on the many other challenges currently confronting NSF. On June 4, join us for the next Town Hall meeting to hear the latest on the…
Congress to Review Appropriations Bills Ahead of Midterm Elections
As previously reported, Congress has officially turned to its work on the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The House Appropriations Committee has already advanced 7 of the 12 spending bills out of committee, including the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill (see analysis). The House has kept to the schedule they released in April, and is on track to mark up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill later this week on June 5 (watch live here). On the other side of the Hill, the Senate has started working on their respective bills and…