Midterm outcomes will affect science policy

Tomorrow’s midterm elections have significant implications for federal science policy. Democrats, buoyed by polling indicating they’ll at least gain control of the House, plan to investigate grant terminations and leadership conduct at the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and other federal science agencies. That said, some observers caution that lawmakers possess limited tools to reverse Trump administration policies, which have led to heavy losses of agency scientists and grant terminations. Several prominent appropriators with power over science agency budgets are up for reelection, as are their counterparts on the authorizing committees that oversee those agencies.

The election’s outcome will set the tone for the remainder of 2026. Congress returns from a month-long recess on Nov. 9. Most federal funding expires on Dec. 12, meaning the current Congress will need to pass some form of spending legislation before then or face a government shutdown. Another open question is whether Congress will continue to block the implementation of a controversial Office of Management and Budget rule that would give White House political appointees direct authority over federal grantmaking decisions. Any bills not passed before the new Congress arrives in January will expire, putting pressure on their backers to get them across the line before the end of the year.

NSF walks back changes based on OMB proposal

For now, the National Science Foundation will not align its grant decisions with a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule, agency documents show. NSF updated its proposed grant policy changes based on more than 3,000 public comments. The new version removes language based solely on the OMB’s proposed rule, which would have eliminated fixed-price awards, disallowed publication costs, allowed for termination of grants for convenience, and suggested that indirect-cost recovery is subject to availability of funds. NSF also “reiterates that it will continue to follow its established merit-review process,” the response to comments states. It also says the agency will address future changes to the Uniform Guidance after final government-wide requirements are issued.

NSF originally proposed the changes in June to align with OMB’s proposed rule. The October update follows massive pushback from scientists and lawmakers against the OMB proposal, including Congress pausing the proposal until Dec. 11 in a recent stopgap funding bill.

NSF’s current proposal is now under a 30-day review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The office can approve the proposal or decide that the agency has not adequately addressed public comments. After OIRA approval, the agency may finalize the rule immediately. NSF’s changes would only apply to new awards or new funding for existing awards. The agency “will allow sufficient time” between the publication and implementation of the new policy so proposers and recipients can sufficiently implement necessary changes, the response to comments states.

Tech-heavy PCAST convenes inaugural meeting

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology will hold its first meeting of the second Trump administration on Friday. Rechartered in 2025 to advise the president on “science, technology, education, and innovation,” the panel now largely seats technology industry leaders, such as Oracle’s David Ellison and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Historically, PCAST and its predecessors largely consisted of academic and industry researchers. Venture capitalist David Sack and OSTP director Michael Kratsios, who co-chair the panel, have stressed an anticipated role in advising on emerging technologies.

President Trump awarded National Medals of Science to three PCAST members, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Alphabet’s Sergey Brin, and AMD’s Lisa Su, as well as a National Medal of Technology and Innovation to member Michael Dell, at an October “Science: A New Golden Age” summit. National Medals of Science more typically went to prominent figures in fundamental research in past administrations.

Historically, PCAST members have advised presidents on emerging scientific and technological issues. The group produced reports on topics such as STEM education and artificial intelligence during the Biden administration. The panel has not published any reports so far during the Trump administration.

Also on our radar

• The White House directed DOGE grant cuts at NSF, according to public records reported by FedScoop. Florida’s gubernatorial office was also mentioned in some grant termination decisions.
• AGU launched an “Initiative for Science Assessments” to broadly support scientific reviews on matters of public interest. AGU previously launched initiatives to support the National Climate Assessment and the Arctic Report Card, two scientific assessments that lost federal support under the Trump administration.
• A scientific and university coalition asked NASA to rescind grant policy changes that “preemptively” follow the OMB proposed rule on grantmaking and to disburse grant funds “in a timely and predictable manner.” (The coalition includes AIP Member Societies.)
• A Planetary Society report finds that low-cost NASA Science missions produce less science per dollar and fail more often than costlier efforts. Meanwhile, the report notes that the space agency says it is moving to smaller, higher-risk, commercially supported science missions.
• NIST published post-quantum cryptography guidance for federal agencies. The guidance maps out agency transitions to new encryption algorithms ahead of a 2031 deadline.
• The Federal Labor Relations Authority dismissed an NIH petition to decertify its early-career research fellows union.
• FCC commissioners approved two spectrum proposals for publication in the Federal Register. Experts warn the proposals could disrupt astronomy and weather satellite data. The administration plans to auction up to 400 megahertz of spectrum by 2028.
• NSF has begun searching for an inaugural head of its new Office of Metascience. The office will experiment with the agency’s research funding vehicles to improve research outcomes.

---

---

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

The House and Senate are in recess and will return Nov. 9.

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 2

SAE: Global MilSatCom (continues through Thursday)

AEI: Beneath the fab: Securing the semiconductor materials layer
9:00 - 10:00 am

Hudson: AI power and national security conference: Open models, governance, and US-China military competition
2:00 - 6:00 pm

National Academies: Agentic super intelligence and the future of the Department of War’s materials S&T enterprise
3:00 - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, November 3

Midterm elections

Wednesday, November 4

NTI: Weapons in Orbit: Reducing risk in a new era of space competition
10:00 am

Aspen Institute: How to tell governments what you think
11:00 am - 12:00 pm (PST)

CSIS: The return of the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile
1:00 - 2:00 pm

AEI: What will the 2026 midterm elections mean for education?
4:15 - 5:30 pm

Thursday, November 5

CSIS: Antitrust and national security: Balancing competition, innovation, and technological leadership
10:00 - 11:00 am

EESI: What Congress needs to know about COP31
12:00 - 1:30 pm

Brookings: US biosafety policy and regulations: Assessing the landscape
2:00 - 2:45 pm

Friday, November 6

White House: Meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
12:00 - 1:00 pm

Monday, November 9

No events

---

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

Job Openings

◆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)
AAAS: Chief government affairs officer (ongoing)
◆DOE: Physical scientist, Advanced Scientific Computing Research (Nov. 2)
◆NOAA: Supervisory budget analyst (Nov. 3)
DOE: Deputy assistant secretary for nuclear fuel cycle (Nov. 4)
◆University of Wisconsin: Federal relations assistant (Nov. 8)
◆FAS: Metascience fellow (Nov. 9)
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)
DOE: Call for nominations for director of enabling technologies and partnerships division of fusion energy sciences (Nov. 5)
DHS: RFC on Optional Practical Training fees (Nov. 9)
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)

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.

---

---

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

White House

FedScoop: Records show White House, DOGE involvement in National Science Foundation grant terminations
Washington Post: CDC’s deputy director to leave Trump administration after six months
Reuters: US health chief RFK Jr faces widespread rebuke over his anti-Arab remarks
White House: MOU between the United States of America and Finland regarding the technology prosperity deal
New York Times: How Trump is dismantling America’s scientific research machine

Congress

Stat: Senate candidate El-Sayed wants to ‘grill’ RFK Jr., calls him the ‘most incompetent HHS secretary ever’
Scientific American: Why science is on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections
Chemical & Engineering News: Job losses, funding cuts spur new wave of US scientist candidates
Nature: How the US mid-term elections could shake up science
Inside Climate News: Climate is on the ballot, even if it’s not in candidates’ campaign messages
Inside Higher Ed: Top research universities spent less on lobbying Congress in Q3
Export Compliance Daily: Expert: Congressional criticism of Trump’s China policy could get ‘louder’ if democrats gain power
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA): House Democratic committee leaders request frontier AI companies report misalignment & safety incidents to Congress within 48 hours

Science, Society, and the Economy

National Academies: Winners of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications
Politico: Europe vs. Elon: 5 ways the EU is trying to squeeze out Musk’s Starlink
New York Times: As Picard on ‘Star Trek’, Patrick Stewart influenced generations of scientists
Nature: How the pandemic changed trust in science — in four charts
Issues in Science and Technology: Defending science from partisanship (perspectives)
Export Compliance Daily: BIS: Details on export control conference are ‘forthcoming’

Education and Workforce

Nature: The shifting sands of research independence: Why mid-career scientists crave security
Inside Higher Ed: Senator: Students should ‘quit’ some 4-year universities
Chronicle of Higher Education: Trump’s final plan to ‘fundamentally reshape’ accreditation moves forward
Chronicle of Higher Education: He didn’t want to use AI for work — so he got a religious exemption from his college
Science: Could your chatbot tip off a scientific rival? It’s possible, researchers say
Chronicle of Higher Education: Computer science is bleeding students. It’s not the first time
Science: I used to be homeless. That experience shapes my science (perspective by Sage Raymond)

Research Management

Nature: These three red flags could unmask dodgy journals
Research Policy: Science-industry collaborations over the business cycle: Evidence from European regions
Nature: I built the UK government’s metascience unit — here’s what countries need to know (perspective by Jen Gold)
The Geyser: OA expanded “publish or perish” (perspective by Kent Anderson)
Retraction Watch: Federal judge tosses $1 billion defamation lawsuit against Elsevier
Nature: AI-hallucinated citations should be treated as research misconduct (perspective by Jan Pisek & Eve Veromann)
Jama Network: Reimagining federal science advice-what to preserve and what to reform (perspective by Gretchen Goldman and Darya Minovi)

Labs and Facilities

Sandia National Lab: Sandia to host under secretary for nuclear security to announce next-generation nuclear technologies
Chemical & Engineering News: After 150 years, India’s oldest science institution seeks a new image
Not-Ship: American federal data has a zombie problem (perspective by Amanda Shendruk)
AAUP: Toward the reconstruction of US research infrastructure (perspective by Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou et al.)

Computing and Communications

Bloomberg: AI industry stands to lose in midterm elections after aligning with Trump
Reuters: DOJ is inquiring about Nvidia’s purchase of Hugging Face, sources say
NIST: NIST report provides guidelines for transition to post-quantum cryptography standards
The Information: OpenAI, Anthropic claim cryptography breakthrough on same day
BBC: A bust-up between mathematicians is fuelling fears that AI could undermine science
Science: AI is shaking up math. But can its proofs be trusted?
Issues in Science and Technology: The Genesis Mission and the future of the future of computing
Bloomberg: China set to lead in AI models, other key areas by 2030, BI says
Tech Policy Press: When, how, and why to abandon the internet (audio)

Space

American Astronomical Society: AAS and partners send letter to NASA raising concerns about grant programs
NASA: NASA welcomes Vietnam as newest Artemis Accords signatory
Space Review: Dodging bullets and firing blanks (perspective by Jeff Foust)
Wall Street Journal: Could orbital data centers ruin the night sky?
Ars Technica: SpaceX no longer needs NASA, and that’s a problem for America’s space agency (perspective by Eric Berger)

Weather, Climate, and Environment

New York Times: EPA to loosen methane rules for oil firms
Nature: Global climate body fights for survival: why the IPCC must be saved (editorial)
Politico: Conservative climate movement faces a blue wave wipeout
Nature: Could a giant sunshade in space ‘solve global warming’? Scientists are taking the idea seriously
ProPublica: How a secret vote by UN scientists legitimized carbon capture and skewed decades of climate policy

Energy

American Nuclear Society: Fusion companies sign LOIs for federal R&D awards
Inside Defense: Acting SECNAV: Navy to install small modular nuclear reactors at four installations

Defense

Defense Intelligence Agency: Challenges to security in space (report)
House CCP Committee: Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat
Inside Defense: STIB terms of reference memo for difficult target defeat strategies study
Bloomberg: Palantir’s defense chief sees China threat to Taiwan over AI
Ars Technica: Pentagon IG refuses to investigate Starlink/Starshield slowdown in Ukraine

Biomedical

Important Context: Chair of president’s cancer panel co-authors ivermectin cancer study backed by supplements company
New York Times: CDC Ignored request from states to validate a new measles test
Science: Kennedy rejects NIH director’s pick for mental health institute

International Affairs

Science|Business: How Africa-Europe research is changing global health
CSIS: Beyond the US-China binary: The new landscape of AI partnerships in the Global South
BBC News: Elon Musk is a ‘real genius’, Putin says after satellite talks with SpaceX boss
Nature: Is research funding now a lottery? European Research Council swamped by applications
Nature: Short-term academic visits to China could sustain ties (perspective by Xiaoqi Zhou)