Science policy this week: September 29, 2025

What’s Ahead

The Capitol Building, pictured at dawn. — The Capitol Building at dawn.

Architect of the Capitol

White House threatens layoffs over funding deal

Barring a last-minute deal, government funding will expire on Wednesday, launching a shutdown and possible reductions in force across federal agencies. President Donald Trump plans to meet with the top four congressional leaders this afternoon to discuss a funding extension.

The White House Office of Management and Budget directed agencies last week to consider RIFs as part of their shutdown “lapse plans.” These RIFs would be in addition to standard furloughs and should target programs that do not have alternative sources of funding and are “not consistent with the president’s priorities,” the OMB memo states. In a statement last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed doubt that any such RIFs would be permanent. “These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today,” he said.

OMB earlier directed agencies to submit updated lapse plans by Aug. 1, but many do not appear to be available online yet. The National Science Foundation’s plan from 2023 would have furloughed nearly 80% of its employees, while NASA’s plan would have furloughed more than 90%.

If Congress passes a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown, interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has directed the agency to “work toward” the spending levels in the House’s funding proposal for fiscal year 2026, according to Ars Technica. That proposal would cut NASA’s Science Mission Directorate by 18%, compared to the 50% cut in the president’s budget request and near-level funding in the Senate proposal. Meanwhile, a report released today by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) states that NASA has been implementing cuts from the president’s budget request since early summer, disregarding congressional intent concerning funding levels.

Scientific societies protest grantmaking executive order

More than 50 scientific and medical organizations urged Congress last week to block key elements of the grantmaking executive order President Donald Trump issued in August, arguing that it will increase politicization of federally funded research and add inefficiencies to the grantmaking process. “The EO does not advance the administration’s goal of implementing Gold Standard Science,” reads the letter sent by the societies. (Multiple AIP Member Societies signed the letter.)

The letter asks Congress to ensure that independent peer review “remains the cornerstone” of scientific grantmaking, “such that the most meritorious proposals are funded in this and all future administrations.” Trump’s order states that agencies may use peer review methods for grantmaking on an advisory basis but places ultimate decision authority in the hands of political appointees. The letter also asks Congress to reject the order’s requirement that science agencies permit “termination for convenience” in all grants, warning of a chilling effect for research that could be perceived as controversial. Finally, the letter calls on Congress to block the order’s directive for agencies to prioritize research proposals from academic institutions with the lowest indirect cost rates.

New batch of S&T nominees teed up for confirmation

The Senate is preparing to vote on a bloc of more than 100 nominees, which includes several science and technology positions:

Ned Mamula to be director of the U.S. Geological Survey;
Neil Jacobs to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
Taylor Jordan to be head of environmental observation and prediction programs at NOAA;
David Peters to be assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement;
Audrey Robertson to lead DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy;
Catherine Jereza to lead DOE’s Office of Electricity;
Timothy John Walsh to lead DOE’s Office of Environmental Management;
Jacob Helberg to be under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment; and
Thomas DiNanno to be under secretary of state for arms control and international security.

Senate Republicans confirmed the first bloc of nearly 50 nominees two weeks ago after modifying the chamber’s rules to allow confirmations in groups instead of one at a time. Democrats had been using the old rules to severely slow down votes on Trump’s nominees. Some of the nominees in the second bloc had advanced out of committee more than four months ago.

Also on our radar

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is calling for DHS to stop issuing work authorizations for student visa holders, arguing such employment presents espionage risks and is incompatible with the statutory purpose of student visas.
NSF’s solicitation for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, issued last week, revealed that the program is no longer open to graduate students beyond the first year of their program. The change has drawn criticism from excluded students. The solicitation also gives students about 50 days to submit applications, far fewer than the minimum of 90 required under NSF’s own policies.
DOE said last week it plans to “return” more than $13 billion in unobligated funds originally appropriated for clean energy technologies.
John Hill was named interim director of Brookhaven after JoAnne Hewett announced her decision to step down. Hewett was named director in 2023.
A judge temporarily restored funds to UCLA from agencies including NIH and DOD. Meanwhile, following the restoration of federal grants at Harvard, the Education Department placed the school on heightened cash monitoring status, requiring it to use its own funds to pay out federal aid to students before requesting federal reimbursement.
More than 160 organizations have asked Congress to use appropriations legislation to support the implementation of the proposed FAIR model for funding indirect costs and to block any other changes to existing indirect cost rates. (Multiple AIP Member Societies signed the letter.)
The Trump administration eliminated the group that compiles the four-year Global Trends report, saying it pushed a partisan political agenda. The report predicted long-term global challenges, including the effects of climate change.