Science Policy This Week: July 27, 2026

FYI

Newsletter

THE WEEK OF AUG 3, 2026

What’s Ahead

Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sits next to Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. — Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) pictured at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last year.

Susan Collins

Senate stopgap funding bill aims to block OMB grantmaking rule

Senators shared a draft short-term spending bill on Sunday that would prevent the White House Office of Management and Budget from implementing its highly controversial proposed rule on federal grantmaking through Dec. 11. The proposed rule would give political appointees unprecedented power over research grant funding decisions. The proposal received nearly half a million public comments according to the Federal Register website, but the true number may be much lower. Over 60,000 comments have been shared publicly so far.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, have both publicly expressed opposition to OMB’s proposal. In a July 6 letter to OMB Director Russell Vought, Collins called for multiple sections of the proposal to be withdrawn, while Murray and all Senate Democrats called for a complete rescission.

“Because of Democrats’ unrelenting efforts, this bill blocks implementation of OMB’s corrupt new grants rule for the duration of the [continuing resolution],” said Murray in a statement yesterday. “While Republicans rejected killing the proposed rule outright, I’m going to keep fighting to put a stop to it once and for all, and I will keep pressing my Republican colleagues to do exactly that.”

An initial vote on the stopgap funding bill is scheduled for tonight, with senators hoping to pass the bill before they are scheduled to begin their five-week August recess on Friday. Some senior Republican senators, as well as President Trump, have called for the Senate to delay their recess if lawmakers are unable to pass the stopgap funding bill, confirm dozens of judicial nominees, and approve a $95 billion reconciliation package that includes election-related reforms outlined in the SAVE America Act.

State Dept proposes expanding criteria for J visa cancellations

The State Department proposed a rule last week that would expand its ability to cancel visas used by foreign exchange visitors, including students and professors. The proposed rule affects J visas and raises the penalties for inaccurate paperwork. It would allow the State Department to terminate a J visa holder’s participation in their exchange program if their paperwork contains errors, leaving the holder with 10 days to appeal before their visa becomes invalid. The rule explicitly states that the appeal cannot be on the grounds of “hardship or other equitable considerations.” Additionally, the rule would impose a new deadline for J-1 visa holders who no longer have duration of status. If their program lasts longer than the four-year maximum stay permitted, they must submit a request for extension three months prior to the end date of their fixed stay period. Currently, there is no formal deadline, though holders generally need to receive the extension before their visa expires.

In other visa news, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Trump administration is considering implementing a $100,000 fee for applications to the Optional Practical Training program, which gives student visa holders the opportunity to gain job training relevant to their field of study either before or after graduation. More than 80% of non-US citizens who stay in the US to work after receiving PhDs in physics or astronomy participate in OPT.

FCC foreign-robot ban could hinder research

The FCC introduced new restrictions last week on the import and sale of certain foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoid robots, citing “unacceptable risks” to national security. The move threatens researchers who rely on relatively inexpensive robots from China to advance their research. Chinese manufacturer Unitree, for example, builds machines that are widely used by American startups and universities, according to reporting by Business Insider. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the House CCP Committee, praised the FCC’s actions in a statement, describing them as both a national security and industrial policy win for the US and its domestic robotics industry. In June, Moolenaar introduced the bipartisan GUARD Act, which tells national security agencies to review humanoid and quadruped robots made by adversaries for security risks.

Also on our radar

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote Aug. 5 on whether to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Fauci avoided answering questions in a hearing last week on the origins of COVID-19, invoking the Fifth Amendment.

NSF announced a University-Industry Demonstration Partnership pilot program that will pair roughly 250 doctoral students with industry research opportunities.
NIH published a new policy banning “dangerous gain of function research” last week. The ban stems from an executive order on biological research safety that Trump signed in May 2025.
GAO released two reports suggesting improvements to DOE’s nuclear waste clean-up programs. One report found that DOE’s sites are less efficient than equivalents in the UK and Canada, and the other raised concerns about the agency’s contracting methods.
The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Science Committee urged the FCC to postpone voting on its “Space Modernization for the 21st Century” proposal, writing that the rule’s scope exceeds the agency’s authority.
DOE announced plans last week to develop an AI data center campus at its site in Paducah, Kentucky, with more than $100 billion in private sector funding. The site was the last government-owned uranium enrichment facility operating in the US, running from 1952 to 2013.

Duration of status rule changes webinar

On Aug. 12, AIP will host a federation-wide webinar on a recent immigration rule change that will cap student visas to a maximum of four years and eliminate the decades-old duration of status system. The goal of the webinar is to help attendees better understand the final rule and its impact on international students and visitors. The program will feature speakers from AIP, FYI Science Policy News, and the Institute for Progress (IFP), with time for an extended audience Q&A. Click here to register.

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

Monday, August 3

No events.

Friday, August 7

No events.

Monday, August 10

National Academies: Strengthening preparedness against novel biological threat agents enabled through AI and other emerging technologies, meeting five
1:00 - 1:30 pm

Opportunities

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

AIP Science Policy Fellowships

AIP is opening applications for year-long science policy fellowships to support Congress and the State Department. Fellows will provide scientific guidance to directly shape legislative and policymaking processes. Congressional fellows will serve as staff in congressional offices or committees, while State Department fellows will focus on foreign policy issues. Fellowships are open to members of AIP Member Societies. Applications open Aug. 1.

Job Openings

APS: Head of scientific programs (ongoing)
AIP: Director of social science research (ongoing)
FIA: Fall intern (ongoing)
ACS: Congressional fellowship (ongoing)
NIST: Operations and financial manager, JILA (Aug. 3)
◆AAAS: News writer intern (Aug. 3)
◆DOE: Director, Office of Fusion (Aug. 7)
AAAS: Senior editor (Aug. 10)
◆NOAA: Policy analyst (Aug. 10)
◆Commerce: Director, Budget Office (Aug. 10)
AAAS: Senior editor (Aug. 10)
◆DOE: Director, Computational Science Research and Partnerships Division (Aug. 14)
◆OMB: Attorney advisor (Aug. 20)
AIP: Science policy fellowship, State Department (Oct. 1)
◆AAAS: Pathways to Policy Fellowship (Nov. 1)
AIP: Science policy fellowship, Congress (Dec. 1)

Solicitations

Physics Today: Reader information survey (ongoing)
◆FAS: Public Impact S&T 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)
OPM: RFC on employee accountability proposed rule (Aug. 3)
NIH: RFI on capping the number of simultaneous research project grants per principal investigator (Aug. 3)
NSF: RFC on Do Not Pay matching program for identifying and preventing improper payments (Aug. 12)
FAR Council: RFI on “Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 40, and 53” (Aug. 24)
NSF: RFC on NSF Guidance on Financial Assistance (Aug. 24)
National Academies: RFI on Earth Science and Applications from Space 2028-2037 decadal survey (Aug. 24)
◆NRC: RFC on Reforming and Modernizing the NRC’s Radiation Protection Framework proposed rule (Aug. 31)
◆DOE: RFI on public-private partnerships in computing (Sept. 8)

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

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.

Around the Web

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