Midterms roil science and spending committees

Members of Congress return to work today after several weeks in recess and in the wake of Democrats’ dramatic victories in the midterm elections. The lame-duck Congress has until Dec. 11 to pass funding legislation or face a government shutdown.

House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) announced she will seek to chair the committee in the next Congress. If selected, she said the committee will focus on stopping the Trump administration’s “politicization” of science. “We will build protections for federal science and innovation programs so Trump-era corruption cannot happen again,” she said.

Lofgren and every other Democrat on the committee running for reelection won their contest last week. In contrast, three Republican members are retiring, and James Gallagher (R-CA) lost his reelection bid. As of Monday morning, four races involving Republican members of the Science Committee remain too close to call. The one departure on the Democratic side is Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who is leaving Congress this year and facing possible expulsion from the Democratic caucus.

On the Senate Commerce Committee, the big question is whether Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) will prevail against Democrat Mary Peltola, who is currently leading him by a few hundred votes. Democrats and Republicans are both losing a few members on that committee to retirements.

On the funding front, one change to watch will be the effect of Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins’ (R-ME) loss to Democrat Troy Jackson. As chair, Collins holds considerable power over funding decisions and will play a major role in whatever funding process emerges ahead of the Dec. 11 deadline. Collins has previously pushed back on some of the Trump administration’s cuts to science agencies and changes to grantmaking.

White House issues space freedom proclamation

The White House released a “Declaration of Freedom in Space” proclamation on Tuesday, reaffirming human space exploration as a national goal. The announcement came ahead of a weekend exposition and air show at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. (The space agency opened applications for Moon landing astronauts there, as well as announcing new lunar lander missions and a rover mission.)

The White House’s election day proclamation underlined the administration’s continued push for human space exploration, notably Moon landings. Its stated adherence to international space obligations, which would include the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, seems intended to head off any future claims over lunar territory from China or other actors, noted some observers. Both the US and China plan human landings on the Moon’s south pole within the next decade.

“Space is the one area that really brings people together across the electorate, across the general public, and across the Congress,” said Jack Kiraly of the Planetary Society, in a post-election briefing on space policy that discussed the proclamation. “Good to see the administration, any administration, sort of showcasing their support for the space program,” he said.

Also on our radar

• A federal judge dismissed charges of smuggling frog embryo samples against Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova.
• A bipartisan “Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement Act” calls for an expert agency to advise lawmakers on new technologies and science. In 1995, Congress had defunded a similar Office of Technology Assessment, calling its work unnecessary.
• The White House cancelled the inaugural meeting of its President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The meeting had already been delayed once.
• Federal science agencies “are proceeding in direct contravention of Congress’s explicit instructions” by implementing a blocked OMB grant rule’s provisions, warns a coalition of public service organizations. (Several signatories are AIP Member Societies.)

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All events are Eastern Time unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.

On Monday, Nov. 16, AIP will host a public “Science After the Midterms” webinar exploring how the Congressional transition will shape the federal research agenda. Designed for a general scientific audience, the program will focus on pending legislation and lawmaker engagement considerations. It will conclude with an extended audience Q&A. Click here to register.

Monday, November 9

UNFCCC: 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) (continues through Friday, Nov. 20)

National Academies: Committee on Planetary Protection fall meeting (continues through Wednesday)

National Academies: National Cancer Policy Summit 2026 (continues through Tuesday)

National Academies: Ocean Studies Board and Polar Research Board joint meeting (continues through Tuesday)

Ken Kennedy Institute: Ken Kennedy Institute 40th anniversary celebration
10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Belfer Center: After the IRA: What modern climate politics needs to build
12:00 - 1:15 pm

NASA: Heliophysics Division virtual community meeting
1:00 – 2:00 pm

AEI: Leading colleges and universities in a “back to the states” era, part II
1:00 - 2:15 pm

Stimson Center: Breaking the impasse: Seeking new approaches to nuclear negotiations and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula
1:30 pm

Brookings: What comes next: The consequences of the 2026 midterm elections
2:00 - 3:00 pm

Tuesday, November 10

NSF SECURE Center: Beyond the silo: Surfacing signals and trends in research security
10:00 am CST

EESI: Rapid readout: Updates from Antalya part 1
10:00 - 10:30 am

Senate Commerce Committee: Nominations hearing for Robert Steinau to be NASA inspector general, Joshua Shoemaker to be NASA CFO, and others
10:30 am

Belfer Center: Advancing U.S.-Greenland engagement in a dynamic era
4:30 - 6:00 pm

Wednesday, November 11

Veterans Day, federal holiday

SAIS: The Bitter Struggle: Book talk with Ben Buchannan and David E. Sanger
11:30 – 2:30 pm

Thursday, November 12

DOE: Office of Science Advisory Committee meeting
9:00 am - 4:45 pm

Cato Institute: Disrupting politics: A front row seat to the collision of technology and democracy
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Arms Control Association:The erosion of independent health and safety oversight of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex
11:00 am - 12:15 pm

CNAS: Fireside chat with Ben Buchanan
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Friday, November 13

NASA: Astrophysics Division virtual town hall
12:00 – 2:00 pm

Sunday, November 15

ANS Newswire: Up next: 2026 ANS Winter Conference & Expo (continues through Wednesday)

Monday, November 16

PRIM&R: 2026 PRIM&R Annual Conference (continues through Wednesday)

AIP: Science after the midterms
2:00 pm

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Deadlines indicated in parentheses. Newly added opportunities are marked with a diamond.

Job Openings

◆FAS: Senior manager, policy entrepreneurship (ongoing)
NSF: Office head, Metascience (ongoing)
APS: Head of scientific programs (ongoing)
National Academies: Program director, Research Fellowships (ongoing)
National Academies: Research associate, Physical Sciences, Systems, and Infrastructure program (ongoing)
◆FASEB: Advocacy and member engagement manager (ongoing)
AAAS: Chief government affairs officer (ongoing)
◆ACS: Science policy fellowship (applications open Nov. 16 and close Jan. 5)
NOAA: Director, National Geodetic Survey (Nov. 18)
AAAS: Deputy news editor, Biomedicine (Nov. 29)
AIP: Science policy fellowship, Congress (Dec. 1)

Solicitations

FAS: Public Impact S&T Initiative open call (ongoing)
DHS: RFC on proposed rule eliminating the discretionary 60-day grace period for H-1B and other visa holders (Nov. 10)
USGS: Call for nominations to the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (Nov. 16)
Commerce: RFI regarding the digitization and modernization of the NTRL (Nov. 16)
NSF: RFC on the draft Guidance on Financial Assistance (Nov. 28)
NIST: RFI on future needs for medical metrology and standards for medical imaging, devices, diagnostics and therapy (Nov. 30)
Treasury: RFC on Outbound Investment Security Program regulations (Dec. 7)
◆NIH: RFI on opportunities to reduce administrative burden in NIH extramural research (Dec. 8)
◆NSF: RFC on grantee reporting requirements for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program (Dec. 21)
◆NSF: RFC on the Survey of Earned Doctorates (Dec. 28)
◆NOAA: Call for members, Integrated Ocean Observing System Advisory Committee (Jan. 5)

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

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Do you have a story to tell about how science policy is impacting you?

AIP’s research team is gathering first-hand accounts from scientists, engineers, students, and staff whose careers have been affected by policy and funding changes over the past year. Volunteers can submit their stories via this online form. Participants’ stories will be added to the Niels Bohr Library & Archives digital repository as searchable, citable records — with options for anonymity and a five-year embargo period. Read more about the initiative here.

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News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.

White House

Tech Policy Press: What’s really behind the science slowdown the White House wants to fix? (perspective by Cole Donovan)
Reuters: Trump says AI risks can be managed, signals openness to guardrails
ProPublica: Trump official who wants data centers on public lands has tens of millions invested in AI industry

Congress

Physics World: ‘A new day’ for US science as Democrats sweep mid-term elections
Nature: ‘Historic change’: What the 2026 US mid-term election results mean for science
Wired: The blue tsunami swept doctors and scientists into office
Science: US midterm election results brighten prospects for science
Scientific American: Science advocates react to Democrats’ historic midterm rout: ‘It’s a new day in Washington’
New York Times: These newly elected lawmakers know something Trump doesn’t: Science
The Washington Sun: The clock is ticking for Republicans to move their priorities
Chemical & Engineering News: US election outcome spurs robust wish list for health science advocates
The Information: California sends AI safety lawmaker to Congress

Science, Society, and the Economy

Bloomberg: Nvidia’s AI chip exports emerge as target in Democratic Congress
New York Times: Nvidia opens investigation into Jensen Huang’s relationship with Chinese spy
Nature: US social sciences face existential crisis after NSF cuts
National Academies: NAS and NAM presidents submit comment to federal register on Census Bureau proposal
Issues in Science and Technology: Getting the questions right is very, very important (perspective by Melissa Flagg)
Washington Post: I’m a scientific researcher. This ethics board has soul-crushing side effects (perspective by Evan Morris)
The Guardian: How a scientist went from hero to traitor in a US water crisis (video)
Nature: How democracy depends on science (perspective by Martin Kahanec et al.)

Education and Workforce

ITIF: America trains the world’s best STEM talent. Why make them leave? (perspective by Trelysa Long)
New York Times: Top astrophysicist leaves US after Trump policies affect her work
Inside Higher Ed: Urgent agenda item for Democrats: Save the US Department of Education (perspective by Shaun Harper)

Research Management

Research Professional: Has open access hit the wall?
Retraction Watch: US university asks journal to remove professor’s name from paper with coauthor in China
Retraction Watch: Scientific Reports on hold in PubMed while NLM reevaluates journal
Retraction Watch: Diabetes association VP resigns over response to editorial boycott following protest at annual meeting

Labs and Facilities

NSF: NSF Major Research Instrumentation funding announcement
HPCwire: Argonne adds AI inference capacity for Genesis mission and scientific research
Fermilab: National labs working to tackle fusion energy challenges
MIT Technology Review: Texas was the new epicenter of the AI data center buildout. That might be kaput

Space

NASA Watch: NASA’s new bosses on Capitol Hill: What the midterms mean for space
NASA: NASA announces X-70 experimental aircraft to advance flight research
SpacePolicyOnline: Former NASA chief economist is new head of Canadian space agency
Space Review: The space code: How China uses culture to build its space soft power
Scientific American: Could SpaceX’s retirement of Falcon 9 spark a launch crisis?
Ars Technica: After Texas’ blue wave, what happens to Elon Musk and SpaceX?

Energy

DOE: DOE’s Office of Science announces $8.5 million for innovative fusion energy public-private partnerships
American Nuclear Society: NRC workshop addresses “bridge” between DOE authorization and NRC licensing

Defense

Reuters: Pentagon chief tech officer says government will detail laws that apply to AI labs this month
Inside Defense: DOD implements flexible funding authority for military labs and test organizations
DefenseScoop: Space Force chief: Intelligence officials ‘making sure we get lessons learned’ from recent Russian satellite maneuvers near commercial sat
Breaking Defense: Key Space Force satellites can’t talk to each other, likely requiring $1B solution
Export Compliance Daily: Chinese biotech company challenges Pentagon’s 1260H list designation
New York Times: Iran is reviewing ‘concrete proposals’ on nuclear program, officials say

Biomedical

Politico: RFK Jr.’s alliance with Trump is on tenterhooks
Politico: Top RFK Jr. ally bashes Trump admin after quitting
Scientific American: New York’s first measles death in 30 years is an omen of worse to come
Science: Former head of global health fund returns, eyeing a ‘huge opportunity’ despite political and financial challenges
Stat: Pharma critic Bernie Sanders is set to hold major sway over FDA funding bill
New York Times: RFK Jr.’s appointees to health task force included four allowed to keep drug stocks
Inside Medicine: What can-and will-the new Congress do on healthcare?

International Affairs

Science|Business: Memo from Washington: Don’t give up on US science (perspective by Richard Hudson)
Science|Business: US stops paying OECD its dues
Research Professional: UKRI launches ‘faster and easier’ database of funded projects
Science|Business: India seals deal to join Horizon Europe
Research Professional: Search for next ERC president gets underway
University World News: Africa and Europe seek their own path in AI science
HPCwire: China finally debuts fourth exascale system, Sugon 8000
Fusion Industry Association: Germany and Japan strengthen fusion energy cooperation