Science Policy This Week: December 22, 2025

What’s Ahead

The grounds of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. — The headquarters of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.

Andrew Parnell / CC BY 2.0

White House threatens National Center for Atmospheric Research

The Trump administration will “break up” the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced last week. Vought called NCAR “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country” and said “any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.” Following the announcement, the National Science Foundation, which funds NCAR, said it would review the structure of NCAR’s research and observational capabilities, including exploring options to transfer the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputer to a different operator, eliminating or transferring two NSF research aircraft that NCAR manages and operates, and “redefining the scope” of NCAR research “to concentrate on needs such as seasonal weather prediction, severe storms, and space weather.” The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which manages NCAR, issued a statement saying that it does not have additional details about the administration’s plan and that “any plans to dismantle NSF NCAR would set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”

Many scientists expressed alarm over the announcement, and the American Geophysical Union is coordinating a letter-writing campaign in support of NCAR. Hundreds gathered in Boulder on Saturday to protest the announcement, Colorado Public Radio reported. House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) issued a statement calling NCAR “a crown jewel of our weather and climate research infrastructure,” adding, “At a time when natural disasters are on the rise, the last thing we should be doing is slashing our own ability to better understand the weather.” Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) blocked a funding deal on five appropriations bills to “demand full funding for NCAR,” characterizing the announcement as part of President Donald Trump’s “attack” on Colorado “because we refuse to bend to his corrupt administration.” E&E News reported that Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Jeff Hurd (R-CO) circulated a letter of support for NCAR in the House and Senate last week.

NSF updating org structure

The National Science Foundation announced an organizational realignment last week that the agency says will increase efficiency by reducing the number of layers in the organization. A spokesperson for NSF declined to provide additional details. The new chart lists the chief science officer, chief of staff, and chief management officer as direct reports to the NSF director. All of NSF’s offices and directorates report to one of those three positions. Some positions previously located within the office of the director, such as the head of research security and the head of research facilities, will now report to the chief science officer.

In a separate announcement, NSF said the five divisions within the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate have been “realigned into sections” and discussed changes to the agency’s grant review process. The existing grant review criteria will not be changed, the announcement states, but program officers will have “new flexibilities to help them support and respond to the specific needs of their scientific disciplines.”

NSF changes grant review requirements

The National Science Foundation is making changes to its grant review process, including requiring only one outside reviewer instead of a minimum of three, according to a Dec. 1 internal staff memo reported by Science last week. The changes were also mentioned in a Dec. 8 policy notice. While the policy changes are intended to reduce the burden of the grant review process on NSF’s limited staff, critics say the changes may reduce the agency’s ability to select the best proposals and could be politically motivated. The National Science Board released a report last week proposing multiple updates to NSF’s grant review policy. Recommendations include: inviting expert reviewers from a wider range of industry, research institutions, venture capital, and regions of the U.S.; aligning NSF’s award portfolio with national priorities; and emphasizing that NSF-funded research must deliver societal benefits. The Board also recommends renaming the “broader impacts” criteria for grants as “societal benefits.” The broader impacts review criterion is required by statute and includes diversity objectives.

Also on our radar

Last week, the Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman to lead NASA and separately confirmed a large bloc of nominees that included leaders at NOAA, OSTP, NNSA, and DOD.
Trump issued an executive order on “space superiority” last week that directs NASA to begin establishing a lunar base and have a lunar nuclear reactor ready for launch by 2030, among other goals. The order also includes provisions relating to the Golden Dome missile defense program.
The House CCP and Intelligence committees issued a report last week criticizing research collaborations between DOE and “PRC entities.” The report’s recommendations include adopting the SAFE Research Act and prohibiting foreign nationals from countries of concern from accessing national lab facilities and other resources.
The DOE Office of Inspector General will investigate the cancellation of nearly $8 billion in clean energy grants following requests from California legislators.
Last week, DOE announced agreements with 24 organizations to participate in the Genesis Mission. Separately, the National Academies published a report that recommends DOE continue developing its AI foundation models alongside traditional computational models.