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FYI: Science Policy News
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THE WEEK OF AUG 4, 2025
What’s Ahead
A man in a suit speaks from behind a podium that says "Palmer Trucks." Six people in suits stand behind him.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin (center) announced plans to rescind the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions at a truck dealership in Indiana on July 29. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (far left) participated in the announcement.

Environmental Protection Agency

EPA, DOE question climate risks in GHG reg rollback

The Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal last week to rescind its 2009 endangerment finding, which underpins the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the justification for the move, the Department of Energy released a report on the climate impacts of greenhouse gas emissions that concludes the warming induced by carbon dioxide “appears to be less damaging economically than commonly believed, and that aggressive mitigation strategies may be misdirected.” DOE Secretary Chris Wright tapped five scientists known to be skeptical of climate change impact assessments to produce the report, which criticizes aspects of global climate models and notes some positive effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentrations.

The EPA will hold a virtual public hearing Aug. 19 and 20 to receive comment on the proposal, while DOE issued a request for comment on the report that closes Sept. 2. “Speaking from the perspective of individuals who have commented on the IPCC and NCA reports only to see our comments ignored, we plan to take a different approach,” wrote Judith Curry, one of the DOE report authors, in a blog post. “Rather than primarily seeking to defend our report, we regard the open comments as an opportunity for dialogue, learning, and clarification of areas of disagreement,” she added. Curry wrote that she hopes for the “redirection of climate science… away from alarmism and advocacy and towards better understanding of the fundamentals of climate dynamics.”

Various scientists whose work is cited in the report have said it uses their research in a misleading way. One such scientist, Zeke Hausfather, wrote that the report “cherrypicks figures and parts of studies to support a preconceived narrative that minimizes the risk of climate change.” Mainstream climate scientists are now mulling ways to offer a coordinated rebuttal to the report.

Turmoil continues over university grant cancellations

The University of California, Los Angeles was cut off from funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health last week after the Justice Department concluded that the university had violated civil rights law in its “deliberately indifferent” response to students’ claims of antisemitism. UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk protested the decision, stating the university has taken various actions against antisemitism and that “this far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination.”

Other universities hit with similar cuts have begun to strike deals with the White House to have research funding restored: Columbia University agreed to pay a $200 million fine to the federal government over three years while Brown University agreed to pay $50 million over ten years to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island. Both agreements also include restrictions on diversity and inclusion initiatives, among other provisions. Meanwhile, other universities such as Harvard and Northwestern have announced layoffs that are related to the funding cuts and other financial pressures, and the Massachusetts governor is proposing to allocate $400 million to offset cuts at universities in the state and at Boston hospitals.

The outlook for grant funding remains uncertain even for NIH grants that have already been judicially ordered to be restored. Some scientists whose grants were included on the list for reinstatements said they have not received the funding as of July. Meanwhile, five higher education associations asked NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya last week to restore not just the approximately 900 grants subject to the court rulings but all grants “terminated pursuant to the same directives, using the same process, and according to the same termination rationale,” which total more than 2,000.

Congress faces backlog of work after recess

The House and Senate will face a daunting slate of work when they return from summer recess in early September. Neither chamber has completed work on appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2026, which begins in October, and they still need to reconcile wide differences in their proposed allocations. Although both chambers have disagreed with the depth of cuts proposed by the Trump administration, the House has still proposed significant cuts to several science agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The Senate has mostly proposed small increases or marginal cuts to science agencies, though it has yet to release its proposals for the Department of Energy due to a push for cuts by the Senate’s top appropriator for DOE.

The Senate also still has a long list of presidential nominees to work through, a process that Democrats have slowed to a crawl by stretching out debate on each nominee. Senators were unable to reach a deal to accelerate nomination votes before departing Washington last week, and Republicans are now vowing to change the rules by simple majority vote when they return. Among the science agency nominations awaiting votes include those for DOE’s top science role, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration and its deputies, and the director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has yet to make nominations for several key science posts, including the head of the DOE Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation, whose director resigned in April. Trump also has not yet nominated a NASA administrator after withdrawing his earlier pick of Jared Isaacman, instead having the secretary of transportation fill the role on an acting basis.

Also on our radar

  • NIH published a request for information last week with five possible options for its proposed limits on publishing costs for open access articles.
  • DOJ released guidance last week on DEI practices that may be considered unlawful discrimination and result in loss of grant funding.
  • DOE reissued a request for proposals for the Jefferson Lab operations contract, due Oct. 3.
  • A lawsuit on NSF grant terminations must be brought before a different court, a federal judge ruled last week. He added that the plaintiffs had not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of a case because NSF continues to fund projects that promote participation in STEM fields by women, minorities, and people with disabilities.
In Case You Missed It

The AI Action Plan released last week pushes science agencies to expand researcher access to high-quality scientific data and AI resources.

Current and former employees at NSF, NASA, NIH, and the EPA have signed onto letters enumerating their concerns.

Upcoming Events

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

Note: The House and Senate are in recess and scheduled to return at the beginning of September.

Monday, August 4

AAPT: American Association of Physics Teachers summer meeting (continues through Wednesday)

National Academies: Future directions for NSF’s advanced cyberinfrastructure, meeting nine
2:30 - 4:00 pm

Tuesday, August 5

NDIA: Space and Missile Defense Symposium (continues through Thursday)

Heritage Foundation: How to stop “academic espionage” on campus
10:00 - 11:00 am

FCC: Technological Advisory Council meeting
10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Thursday, August 7

BIS: Materials and Equipment Technical Advisory Committee meeting
10:00 am - 3:30 pm

National Academies: Computing breakthroughs and innovation patterns, meeting four
3:00 - 4:30 pm

Saturday, August 10

NCURA: National Council of University Research Administrators annual conference (continues through Wednesday)

Monday, August 11

APS: Quantum technology in national security
11:00 am

Opportunities

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

On July 7, the Trump administration extended the federal hiring freeze into the fall.

Job Openings

Stanford: Senior director, federal laboratory government affairs (ongoing)
Fermilab: Government relations director (ongoing)
Boston Globe: Climate science and environment reporter (ongoing)
The Guardian: Senior investigative science reporter (ongoing)
AAAS: Senior biomedicine reporter, Science Magazine (ongoing)
University of Michigan: Director of federal relations for research (ongoing)
AIP: Federation engagement and public policy coordinator (ongoing)
APS: Member advocacy specialist (ongoing)
UCAR: Government relations manager (Aug. 8)
AIP: Science policy intern, FYI (Aug. 17)
Association of American Universities: Deputy vice president for government relations and public policy (Aug. 17)
National Academies: Mirzayan S&T policy graduate fellowship program (Aug. 20)
Horizon Institute for Public Service: Horizon fellowship program (Aug. 28)
National Academies: Biotechnology regulatory fellowship program (Aug. 31)

Solicitations

National Academies: Call for input: Key non-polar destinations across the Moon to address decadal-level science objectives with human explorers (Aug. 7)
BIS: RFC on national security and critical technology assessments of the US industrial base (Aug. 12)
DOE: RFC on “A critical review of impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the US climate” report (Sept. 2)
NSF: RFC on SBIR/STTR pre-award information collection (Sept. 2)
NSF: RFC on Breakthrough Innovations Initiative application (Sept. 2)
National Academies: Call for applications for New Voices in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (Sept. 3)
NIH: RFI on maximizing research funds by limiting allowable publishing costs (Sept. 15)
OSTP: RFI for the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing (Sept. 30)
NSF: RFC on the National Plan for Arctic Research (Oct. 15)

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

Around the Web

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

White House

Chronicle of Higher Education: Universities are making deals with Trump. Here’s how they stack up
Harvard Crimson: Harvard President Garber tells faculty he is not considering a $500 million deal with Trump
Chronicle of Higher Education: Under pressure from Trump, the accreditor overseeing Harvard proposes nixing DEI standards
Chronicle of Higher Education: White House tightens screws on George Mason president, faculty leaders
Stat: Top White House pandemic preparedness official resigns, officials say, in sign of broader disarray
NSF: NSF pauses presidential awards for excellence in STEM teaching and mentoring

Congress

ScienceInsider: With boost to NIH budget, Senate panel rejects Trump’s plan to slash agency
E&E News: Senate Republicans look to blunt Trump attacks on renewables
House Science Committee: Republicans seek answers regarding the Biden administration’s troubling DOE lending history
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR): Cotton introduces bill to end H-1B visa loophole for universities
Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE): Senate Democrats release joint statement to raise alarm about President Trump’s steep concessions to Beijing
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): Democrats urge administration to reinstate EPA employees retaliated against for exercising free speech rights
E&E News: Senate confirms NRC chair to new term over Dem protests
Senate Commerce Committee: Bipartisan bill introduced to modernize weather radio emergency alerts

Science, Society, and the Economy

NAFSA: US economy could suffer a $7 billion loss from precipitous drop in international students
Science Forever: Listening and talking on a plan for the future of American science (perspective by Holden Thorp)
Scholarly Kitchen: How science is gamed (perspective by Leslie McIntosh and Will White)
The Atlantic: Every scientific empire comes to an end (perspective by Ross Andersen)
Nature: Why newsrooms must rethink science journalism before the next crisis
New York Times: Mary Gaillard, who broke a ceiling in subatomic research, dies at 86
Chemical & Engineering News: A scientific holiday on a German island full of Nobel laureates

Education and Workforce

Washington Post: The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work
E&E News: NSF cuts senior career jobs
E&E News: EPA expands probe into staffers who signed ‘dissent’ letter
Reuters: US farm agency fires 70 foreign researchers following national security review
Washington Post: Scientist on green card detained for a week without explanation, lawyer says
The Transmitter: What US science stands to lose without international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (perspective by Joshua Sanes)
Wall Street Journal: Cornell University discriminated against me (perspective by Colin Wright)
Physics World: Third age careers for physicists: Writing and the arts beckon (audio interview with Michael Albrow)

Research Management

ScienceInsider: Odds of winning NIH grants plummet as new funding policy and spending delays bite
COGR: Waste and inefficiencies due to the new grant requirements in Executive Order 14222
Research Professional: Regulation is part of R&D, not a hurdle at its end (perspective by Alex Denoon)
ITIF: While federal R&D shrinks, business R&D is booming (perspective by Meghan Ostertag)
Undark Magazine: Metascience is more important now than ever (perspective by C. Brandon Ogbunu)
Research Professional: Innovation in democratic systems needs public deliberation (perspective by Ayman Akil)
Research Professional: Science is evolving, and article formats need to keep up (perspective by Antigoni Messaritaki)
Nature: My AI chatbot thinks my idea is fundable (perspective by Angela Steinauer)
GAO: US consolidated financial statements: Key issues for the Department of Energy (report)

Labs and Facilities

ScienceInsider: NSF plans abrupt end to lone US Antarctic research icebreaker
The Moscow Times: Russia and US agree to extend International Space Station operations to 2028
NASA Watch: OIG report: NASA IT security still falls short
Bloomberg: Fermilab hit in cyberattack targeting Microsoft’s SharePoint

Computing and Communications

Export Compliance Daily: US still planning to deny China ‘highest-end’ chip tech, White House official says
Bloomberg: China state media asks Nvidia to prove H20 chips are secure
The Economist: China has top-flight AI models. But it is struggling to run them
New York Times: AI researchers are negotiating $250 million pay packages. Just like NBA stars
GAO: Artificial intelligence: Generative AI use and management at federal agencies (report)
Science: Advancing science- and evidence-based AI policy (perspective by Rishi Bommasani, et al.)
MIT Technology Review: The two people shaping the future of OpenAI’s research
Wired: Mark Zuckerberg details Meta’s plan for self-improving, superintelligent AI
Wall Street Journal: Why the billionaire Pritzkers got obsessed with quantum
The Conversation: Quantum scheme protects videos from prying eyes and tampering (perspective by Yashas Hariprasad and S. S. Iyengar)

Space

SpaceNews: Roscosmos celebrates meeting of agency leaders that NASA ignored
Research Professional: Commercial satellites ‘interfering’ with space research
NPR: Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
Washington Post: NASA workforce cuts raise fears about safety for space missions
NASA Watch: NASA prepares to gut its Landsat capabilities
The Atlantic: How NASA engineered its own decline (perspective by Franklin Foer)
Scientific American: Strong support for NASA and Project Artemis will advance the US (perspective by Matthew Bedingfield)
NASA Watch: OIG finds flaws in NASA’s standing review board process
New York Times: When Earth’s surface shifts, the new NISAR satellite will see it
Aerospace Corporation: Should the Wolf amendment be repealed? (perspectives)

Weather, Climate, and Environment

E&E News: EPA research cuts stoke fears over scientific independence
The Honest Broker: A red team climate report (perspective by Roger Pielke Jr.)
Wall Street Journal: The rise of the climate right (perspective by Kimberley Strassel)
Inside Climate News: EPA delays compliance with methane rule, fulfilling oil and gas industry’s request
Science: Governing novel climate interventions in rapidly changing oceans (paper by Tiffany Morrison, et al.)
E&E News: Congressional climate hawks turn focus toward AI
E&E News: Pentagon will keep sharing hurricane forecasting data
Inside Climate News: Private companies step up to gather weather data for NOAA as staffing cuts hobble agency forecasting
The Economist: Scientists want to sequence all animals, fungi, and plants on Earth

Energy

American Nuclear Society: INL makes a case for eliminating ALARA and setting higher dose limits
E&E News: Startup begins work on major US fusion power plant. Yes, fusion
The Hill: China just bet $2 billion on fusion energy. The US must respond (perspective by Bob Mumgaard)
Wall Street Journal: Geothermal energy is heating up. It’s going to need more geologists
E&E News: Interior order targets ‘preferential treatment’ for wind and solar
E&E News: Trump admin eliminates offshore wind project areas
Physics Today: Two projects in the western US are testing the feasibility of installing solar farms over sun-drenched irrigation canals

Defense

Inside Defense: Hill leaders seek Pentagon’s $150B spending plan, send ‘guidance’ tables to direct funds
DefenseScoop: UAP disclosure advocates call for expanded reforms in fiscal 2026 NDAA
Breaking Defense: Here’s the role that space-based interceptors will play in Golden Dome (interview with Michelle Mathieson)
Scientific American: US nuclear energy policy could accelerate weapons proliferation (perspective by Alan Kuperman)
The Conversation: The treaty meant to control nuclear risks is under strain 80 years after the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (perspective by Stephen Herzog)
DARPA: Texas, DARPA to establish testbed to use autonomy to fight wildfires

Biomedical

Wall Street Journal: Trump administration scraps effort to pause health-research funding
Chronicle of Higher Education: Their NIH grants are back. But nothing is back to normal
Federal News Network: NIH director talks grant terminations controversy, Bethesda Declaration, making America healthy (audio interview with Jay Bhattacharya)
Stat: Jay Bhattacharya once studied health disparities. As NIH director, he’s allowed such research to wither
New York Times: Doctors have lost their Mount Olympus of medicine (perspective by Danielle Ofri)
Stat: Representatives of expert groups to be barred from work supporting CDC’s vaccine advisers
Stat: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program needs to be updated, not eliminated (perspective by Dorit Reiss and Arthur Caplan)
Wired: States are moving to protect access to vaccines
Stat: The FDA’s plan on fluoride supplements is bad science (perspective by Peter Pitts)

International Affairs

Science|Business: How the US fails at science diplomacy, but could do better (perspective by Cole Donovan)
Research Professional: South Africa unveils funds for research hit by US aid cuts
ScienceInsider: Ecuador eliminates science agency in major reorganization
Science|Business: Germany and other EU states stall scientific sanctions against Israel
Research Professional: EU must cut Israel out of Horizon, says former foreign affairs head
Research Professional: EU governments’ spending on R&D up 3.4% in 2024
Science|Business: EU records 59.5% rise in R&D allocations over ten years, study shows
Wired: Inside the summit where China pitched its AI agenda to the world
Wall Street Journal: India is losing its best and brightest (perspective by Sadanand Dhume)

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