Science Policy This Week: Sept 7, 2026

What’s Ahead

Scott Bessent at a podium with flags — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks at the G20 meeting in North Carolina on Sept. 1.

Gerald Herbert / AP

Trump admin says schools should remove diversity programs or lose tax-exempt status

The Treasury Department published a proposed rule last week that would end the tax-exempt status of private universities that use race, color, or national or ethnic origin as a deciding factor in program admissions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that such programs constitute illegal racial discrimination. In its announcement, the Treasury emphasized that schools would be able to continue using “race-neutral criteria such as family income, geographic location, first-generation status, individual hardship, military family status, or academic achievement” to administer programs.

The rule leans on a 2023 Supreme Court decision that found Harvard’s use of race in admissions decisions was unlawful. The Legal Defense Fund, a civil rights nonprofit, said in a statement that the Trump administration is misinterpreting the 2023 decision and trying to “twist the very meaning of racial discrimination to justify its own discriminatory practices.”

The rule would apply to every educational level, from primary schools to universities, and include trade and professional schools. However, it would not prevent religiously affiliated schools from selecting students based on “genuine religious affiliation.” According to the request for comment on the Federal Register, the administration aims to have the rule take effect by May 31, 2027, so that it would apply to the ensuing taxable year. Comments must be submitted by Nov. 3.

Trump signs stopgap funding bill that delays grantmaking rule

President Donald Trump signed a stopgap spending bill last week that extends federal funding through Dec. 11 and includes a provision that delays the implementation of an Office of Management and Budget rule on grantmaking. Congressional Democrats have been pushing for that rule to be scrapped entirely. Federal funding had been set to run out for most federal agencies and programs at the end of September, and the House and Senate have made little public progress on their usual appropriations bills. The stopgap keeps most funding at 2026 levels.

Members of the House have returned to their districts early to campaign ahead of the midterms. The House just returned from a recess last week and was slated to remain in session until the end of September. Instead, the House is now scheduled to resume for four days starting on Sept. 14, the same day the Senate returns from its recess, before leaving again until Oct. 1.

White House proposes changes to top climate report

The public has until Wednesday to comment on proposed changes to the fifth National Climate Assessment, which would state that results based on the RCP 8.5 scenario are not “expected” or “likely.” RCP 8.5 refers to a worst-case projection based on very high greenhouse gas emissions with no mitigation, one of four original scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “For far too long, the federal government’s assessment of climate change has been shaped by activism and worst-case scenarios masquerading as likely futures. That changes now,” Matthew Wielicki, director of the US Global Change and Research Program, which publishes the NCA, posted on X.

Project 2025 and President Donald Trump’s executive order on “gold standard science” previously criticized agency use of the RCP 8.5 scenario. A group of climate scientists found in April that RCP 8.5 has become implausible based on current trends in emissions, renewables, and climate policy. In response, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that “for far too long climate activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible energy polices [sic], and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs.”

The fifth NCA, published in 2023, aimed to “assess the full range of scenarios available,” from a very low-emission scenario up to RCP 8.5. In April 2025, the Trump administration eliminated federal funding for USGCRP and dismissed the authors of the sixth NCA, which was then in progress. In July, the administration selected Wielicki, a climate science critic and former professor of geological sciences at the University of Alabama, to lead USGCRP. Wielicki said in 2023 that the fifth NCA was “riddled with inconsistencies and conflicts of interest that undermine its credibility.”

Republicans continue scrutiny of National Academies climate work

Republican attorneys general from 25 states are asking more federal agencies to suspend or debar the National Academies from funding over bias allegations. A letter published in late August reiterates concerns over the climate science chapter of a reference manual for judges, which NASEM co-authors. NASEM announced a review of the process behind the chapter last month, but the attorneys general call the review a “sham,” adding, “NASEM has concealed all aspects of the review. That review is not a reason for agencies to defer action.”

A NASEM spokesperson said the review will take place this fall and its results will be made public soon after. The review will be run and managed by an independent firm, and NASEM will share details “in the coming weeks,” including the review panel members, their process, and the scope of the review, the spokesperson said.

The letter from the attorneys general also criticizes the report on attribution science that NASEM released in July. The letter argues that this report “is intended to prop up” the arguments of plaintiffs in climate lawsuits, including the upcoming Supreme Court case Suncor v. Boulder. It also states that the report’s funders are “connected to climate litigation,” having funded organizations that support the plaintiffs in Suncor v. Boulder. Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) is continuing an investigation into the NASEM report on the greenhouse gas endangerment finding last year, which NASEM fast-tracked after the Environmental Protection Agency proposed rescinding the finding. Comer said the evidence so far suggests NASEM “intended to prepare and release a biased review” and requested documents related to a potentially biased peer reviewer.

Also on our radar

Congressional Democrats raised concerns over an agreement that might transfer as much as $2 billion from NIH to DOD without congressional approval. Administration officials defended the agreement as supporting medical technologies aimed against infectious diseases.
NSF announced that its National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource has moved into full operations. The AI research collaborative has already supported more than 600 student research projects nationwide, according to the agency.
DOE plans to launch a pilot of Genesis Mission graduate fellowships: four-year PhD pathways in both AI and the participant’s discipline, with research experiences at an agency facility and in industry.
The Forest Service will shutter 23 research and development stations in more than a dozen states, alongside its headquarters move to Utah. Another 41 agency science and experimental forest sites that faced possible closure will remain open following pushback.
Last week, officials from G20 countries released an emerging technologies consensus statement, calling for policies and standards on AI, skilled workforce development, and fostering innovation through public-private cooperation.
Space scientists led by former NASA Chief Scientist James Green petitioned NASA to restore $2 million in annual funding for measurements from a major heliophysics mission.
DOJ joined OpenAI’s side in its “fair use” courtroom battle with the New York Times. The Trump administration argued in its filing that copyright curtailment of AI training would “significantly hamper the progress of science and useful arts.”
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is accepting public comments on its proposed reorganization from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18. The notice did not describe the proposed reorganization of the infectious disease agency, which has come under political pressure in the post-pandemic era.
In a multi-part response on X to criticism of the space agency’s low-Earth astronaut launch planning, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency is focused on lunar missions, not commercial activity.

Monday, September 7

Labor Day

Tuesday, September 8

Agencia Espacial Española: Zero Debris Week (continues through Friday)

NDIA: Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference & Exhibition (continues through Thursday)

Atlantic Council: Data governance for AI and healthcare: From Washington to Beijing
9:00 am

Hudson Institute: How nuclear energy is ensuring Europe’s secure, low-carbon future
10:00 - 11:00 am

Wednesday, September 9

French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: International Space Summit (continues Thursday)

Brookings: Generation AI starts early symposium
9:00 - 11:45 am

Hudson Institute: Transferring spectrum from the federal to the non-federal domain: The view from NTIA
12:00 - 1:00 pm

NSF: AI Datasets: Unlocking dataset value for AI-enabled scientific discovery
1:00 - 2:30 pm

CSIS: Space launch capacity and contenders
1:30 - 2:30 pm

CNAS: A giant leap: How viable are orbital data centers?
2:30 - 3:30 pm

Thursday, September 10

Hudson Institute: Strengthening the US-Japan alliance through semiconductor and AI partnerships
9:00 - 11:45 am

NSF Secure Center: Research security on the road: Hidden risks in international travel
2:00 pm

Friday, September 11

Arms Control Association: Mitigating the risks of AI in nuclear operations
9:30 - 11:00 am

PSW Science: Heroic Engineering: The James Webb Space Telescope - and lessons learned for future flagship missions
8:00 pm

Monday, September 14

Women in Defense: 2026 National Conference
8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Opportunities

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

Job Openings

National Academies: Assistant to the president (ongoing)
◆National Academies: Publications director, Cooperative Research Program (ongoing)
◆Aerospace Corporation: Analyst, space policy (ongoing)
APS: Head of scientific programs (ongoing)
AIP: Director of social science research (ongoing)
ACS: Congressional fellowship (ongoing)
AACR: Director, Regulatory Science and Policy (ongoing)
◆DOE: Deputy director, Office of Enterprise Assessments (Sept. 9)
IDA: Research analyst, science policy (Sept. 30)
AIP: Science policy fellowship, State Department (Oct. 1)
AAAS: Pathways to Policy Fellowship (Nov. 1)
AIP: Science policy fellowship, Congress (Dec. 1)

Solicitations

APS: Call for ideas for the NSF Forward initiative (ongoing)
ACS: Call for ACS members to address global grand challenges in chemistry (ongoing)
FAS: Public Impact S&T Initiative open call (ongoing)
NIST: Request for letters of interest for the Neutron-Based Materials Characterization Consortium (ongoing)
NIST: Request for nominations for members to serve on NIST federal advisory committees (ongoing)
NRC: RFC on reforming and modernizing the NRC’s radiation protection framework
DOE: RFI on public-private partnerships in computing (Sept. 8)
OSTP: RFC on proposed amendment to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (Sept. 9)
◆NIH: RFC on proposed reorganization of NIAID (Sept. 18)
NOAA: Solicitation of nominations for membership on the NOAA Science Advisory Board (Sept. 18)
NIH: RFI on proposed changes to reporting outcomes from NIH peer review (Oct. 13)
NIST: RFI on modernizing the National Vulnerability Database in the age of artificial intelligence (Oct. 13)
NIH: RFC on draft NIH Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards (Oct. 19)
◆Treasury: Racial Nondiscrimination in Private Schools (Nov. 3)

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Around the Web

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

Trump admin says schools should remove diversity programs or lose tax-exempt status

Trump signs stopgap funding bill that delays grantmaking rule

White House proposes changes to top climate report

Republicans continue scrutiny of National Academies climate work

Also on our radar

Monday, September 7

Tuesday, September 8

Wednesday, September 9

Thursday, September 10

Friday, September 11

Monday, September 14

Job Openings

Solicitations

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

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