Congress Passes Stopgap Funding Bill Blocking OMB Grants Rule
Congress has approved a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government funded through December 11, 2026, avoiding a potential shutdown when the new fiscal year begins October 1. The House passed the measure 370-48 on September 1, following Senate passage on August 8, and President Donald Trump signed it into law on September 2.
The continuing resolution also includes a provision that temporarily blocks the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from issuing or finalizing its proposed revisions to the government-wide rules governing federal grants. The provision, which was added in the Senate last month, prevents the proposed rule—or a substantially similar rule—from being issued or finalized through December 11. The proposed OMB rule would give political appointees greater authority over federal grant decisions and has raised concerns among universities, scientific organizations, and other grant recipients about political interference in the grantmaking process.
The provision represents an important, but temporary, victory for groups that have opposed the proposed changes to federal grantmaking. Its inclusion is the result of advocacy from the higher education and research community as well as other diverse stakeholders. Prior to the legislation’s passage in the House, 105 national organizations, including AIBS, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to prevent OMB from implementing its proposed revisions. The OMB rule is therefore likely to remain an issue in negotiations over fiscal year 2027 appropriations later this year, after the November 3 midterm elections.
Action Alert: Continue to Engage Congress on the OMB Grants Rule
The response from the scientific community to the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance has been substantial and AIBS thanks everyone who submitted comments, shared analysis, or urged Congress to act.
Congress has now taken an important step. President Trump signed a continuing resolution on September 2 that keeps the government funded through December 11 and includes a provision blocking OMB from issuing or finalizing the proposed grants rule during that period. AIBS thanks the members of Congress who worked to include this provision and those who supported its passage.
But this is only a temporary reprieve. AIBS urges the scientific community to continue engaging with your members of Congress and ask them to build on this progress by pursuing a more permanent solution to the concerns raised by the proposed rule. Constituents should also urge Congress to use its oversight authority to ensure that individual federal agencies do not preemptively implement provisions of the proposed guidance before its finalized. For example, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education have proposed changes to policies governing federal financial assistance that, in some respects, align with provisions of the proposed OMB rule.
Write to Congress today through the AIBS Legislative Action Center. Check out our advocacy toolkit and resource page for more information.
NSF Funding Shifts Reduce New Awards and Reshape Graduate Support
Recent reports point to significant changes in how the National Science Foundation (NSF) is distributing research funding and supporting the scientific workforce.
Nature reports NSF is on track to make roughly 6,100 new research awards in fiscal year (FY) 2026, about 30 percent fewer than last year and 46 percent below the annual average for 2021-2024—the lowest number of new awards in more than four decades. The decline is attributed in part to about $1 billion of NSF’s $8.8 billion budget being held in a central account, with NSF staff telling Nature that much of the money is being directed toward the White House’s Grand Research Challenges initiative, which focuses on areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced materials. More than 150 proposals that had already been recommended for funding were also pulled back after NSF reclaimed approximately $300 million from two directorates in July. Nature reports that spending across most NSF research directorates has consequently fallen by roughly 20 to 40 percent compared with last year, despite congressional direction in the FY 2026 appropriations agreement that no NSF directorate should receive more than a 5 percent reduction from its FY 2024 enacted level.
Also contributing to the decline in the number of awards is NSF’s approach to multiyear funding. Staff report that the agency is making fewer new multiyear commitments, while providing the full amount of an award upfront rather than distributing funds over several years.
NSF is also narrowing parts of its graduate fellowship portfolio. Under the agency’s new solicitation for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), NSF expects to award approximately 1,500 fellowships in 2027, down from 2,597 fellowships in 2026. The new competition also removes several fields from eligibility, including political science, public policy, cultural anthropology, and STEM education and learning research, while continuing to emphasize research areas aligned with Administration priorities. NSF says it routinely revises eligible fields to reflect changes in the scientific landscape and agency priorities.
At the same time, NSF is investing in new models for graduate education that emphasize partnerships with industry. The agency recently announced a $47 million, five-year pilot program that will support more than 250 doctoral students in four-year Ph.D. programs that include research placements in industry. Universities will support students during their first year, while NSF will fund the remaining years, and participating companies will provide matching support for at least one year of industry-based research as part of the students’ dissertation work. The new program, I-PhD, overlaps with NSF’s existing INTERN program, which provides up to six months of industry or government-lab experience for graduate students, but I-PhD is designed to integrate a longer industry placement directly into the Ph.D. program and requires greater financial commitments from participating companies. Science reports that some researchers are concerned the new program could come at the expense of INTERN as NSF faces a constrained budget.
Taken together, these developments reflect a broader shift at NSF toward fewer new awards, more targeted investments, greater emphasis on Administration-defined research priorities, and closer connections between graduate education and industry. They also raise questions about the availability of traditional investigator-driven research funding and the breadth of fields supported through NSF’s workforce programs.
USGCRP Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to National Climate Assessment
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), the federal government’s major report on climate change in the United States. The proposed amendment would change how some of the report’s projections are described and used in federal planning.
Specifically, the proposal addresses projections based on several high-emissions scenarios—possible futures in which greenhouse gas emissions remain very high. USGCRP says these scenarios should not be presented as the most likely or expected future for federal planning. They could still be used to show what might happen under very high emissions, or to test how well policies and infrastructure would perform under difficult conditions, as long as the assumptions are clearly explained.
The proposed amendment would not withdraw NCA5 or eliminate its underlying climate observations, regional information, or other analyses. USGCRP is requesting comments on the scientific basis for the proposed changes, how projections based on different scenarios should be described, and how the changes could affect federal planning and public communication. Comments are due September 9, 2026.
White House Releases National Security Science and Technology Strategy
The White House has released a new National Security Science and Technology Strategy outlining science and technology (S&T) priorities intended to advance U.S. national security and maintain technological leadership.
The strategy identifies biotechnology as a critical and emerging technology, highlighting synthetic biology, genome and epigenome engineering, protein design, engineered biological systems, therapeutics, biomanufacturing, and neurotechnologies. It also emphasizes biotechnology’s role in countering biological weapons, strengthening biosurveillance, and building resilient domestic supply chains through biomanufacturing.
The strategy places an explicit emphasis on fundamental and basic research, stating that federal agencies should support basic research in the physical and biological sciences where there is insufficient commercial incentive to drive scientific progress. For early- and mid-stage development, however, agencies are encouraged to pursue public-private partnerships in priority areas including biotechnology, with the private sector expected to play a larger role in later-stage development. The strategy also calls for greater flexibility to shift federal R&D resources to align with national priorities and emerging security needs.
The plan also calls for the United States to strengthen its S&T workforce by “attracting and retaining top-tier global talent” in critical national security fields. That emphasis comes amid other administration policies (e.g. H-1B visa fees and duration of status limits) that have raised concerns about the ability of U.S. universities and research institutions to attract international scientists and engineers. At the same time, the strategy calls for stronger research security measures and expanded restrictions on technology transfers and U.S. investment involving China, particularly in areas such as AI, quantum information systems, semiconductors, supercomputing, and hypersonics.
Interior Reassigns Senior Career Staff
The Department of the Interior has reassigned at least 22 senior career employees across its land management, wildlife, and science agencies as part of a broader restructuring and effort to centralize authority, according to POLITICO.
Among the changes, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Chief Scientist David Applegate is leaving the agency after nearly 23 years, while USGS Associate Director for Water Resources William Werkheiser reportedly chose retirement instead of accepting a new assignment. At the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System Chief Cynthia Martinez has been reassigned to USGS, while Principal Deputy Director Justin Shirley will resign at the end of September.
The moves come as Interior’s workforce has shrunk by nearly 14% since the start of the Trump Administration, raising concerns about the capacity of the department’s scientific, conservation, and regulatory programs.
NSF Seeks Input on Future Ocean Observing Priorities
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking input on priorities for a future ocean observation system that is scientifically relevant, technologically up to date, operationally viable, and aligned with NSF’s mission and priorities.
The request, issued through a Dear Colleague Letter on August 27, invites both individual and organizational responses, including aggregated input from professional societies and other organizations. Responses are limited to 3,250 characters, including spaces, for each question.
Feedback will help inform NSF’s plans for future ocean observations and ensure that related data services and tools meet stakeholder needs. Responses are due September 30, 2026.
Nominations Sought for AIBS Innovative Leadership Award
Nominations are currently being accepted for the AIBS Innovative Leadership Award, which recognizes commendable innovative leadership in the biological sciences community.
Awards will be made at the discretion of AIBS, which may choose one award, no award, or multiple awards in any one year.
Individual award recipients will receive complimentary registration to an AIBS Professional Development Training Course. Recipients are also given a $500 honorarium or the option of donating the amount to an AIBS Initiative. With their approval, awardees will also receive additional recognition at AIBS events and on the AIBS website.
Anyone may submit a nomination for award with the candidate’s permission. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations must clearly document why the candidate should be considered, above all others, for this distinguished award. Nominations must be received by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Learn more about the nomination and selection process.
Community Input Sought on the Future of NSF
The American Physical Society (APS) recently launched NSF Forward, an initiative that engages the broader research community to develop actionable recommendations that will help position National Science Foundation (NSF) to meet evolving needs of the nation, its citizens, and science. These recommendations will be translated into legislative language and made available for advocacy efforts in early 2027, for those interested.
AIBS is formally partnering with APS on this effort and encourages members across all scientific disciplines, career stages, and types of institutions to contribute their perspectives.
The initiative asks two questions:
- What does NSF do well that you would like to ensure is maintained?
- What should NSF stop doing, change or do differently, or start doing?
Individuals can share their input through the NSF Forward survey until September 21, 2026 to help ensure that the perspectives of the broader scientific community inform recommendations for NSF’s future. For questions regarding the project, please contact NSFforward@aps.org.
Last Chance to Register for the Writing for Impact and Influence Online Course
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is offering its popular professional development program to help scientists and students hone their written communication skills to increase the power of their message.
Writing for Impact and Influence provides practical instruction and hands-on exercises that will improve the participant’s general writing proficiency. The program will provide participants with the skills and tools needed to compose scientific press releases, blog posts, memoranda, and more, with a focus on the reader experience and the appropriate use of modern writing tools, such as ChatGPT. Each product-oriented session will have an assignment (deadlines are flexible), with feedback from the instructor.
The course is interactive, and participants are encouraged to ask questions and exchange ideas with the instructor and other participants. Each session is also recorded and shared with all participants to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Who Should Take the Course?
- Individuals interested in furthering their professional development by augmenting their writing skills.
- Graduate students and early-career professionals interested in increasing their marketability to employers.
- Individuals interested in more effectively informing and influencing segments of the public, supervisors, policymakers, reporters, organizational leaders, and others.
The course consists of six weekly 90-minute online modules conducted live and subsequently archived online for participant review. The course will begin on Friday, September 11, 2026, with subsequent course sessions held weekly on Fridays, through October 16. Individuals who actively participate in and complete the full course will receive a certificate recognizing that they have completed a nine-hour professional development course on business writing for scientists.
Learn more and register.
Short Takes
- Join staff from the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Virtual Office Hour on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 1:00-2:00 PM EST for a discussion of BIO’s new core funding opportunity (BIO Core). Register now.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has named pediatric neurologist John Gaitanis to lead the $1.7 billion Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), despite having no record of NIH research funding or grant-review service and amid concerns about his ties to autism organizations promoting alternative treatments and to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Gaitanis previously headed pediatric neurology divisions at Brown and Tufts universities, and has published research on epilepsy and autism.
- The Environmental Defense Fund has sued the Trump Administration over its efforts to eliminate the climate research functions of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and close its Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. The lawsuit argues that the Administration lacks authority to eliminate NCAR’s federally supported climate research without public input and failed to conduct required historic-preservation review of the 60-year-old Mesa Lab.
- NIH has released a draft biosafety policy that would replace its nearly 50-year-old recombinant DNA guidelines with a broader, risk-based framework covering research involving a wide range of biohazards, including wild-type pathogens, genetically modified organisms, toxins, and prions. The proposal would expand the role of Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBC) and, notably, apply to non-NIH-funded research conducted at institutions that receive NIH funding. The draft also includes new incident-reporting and transparency requirements, including public posting of IBC meeting minutes and certain incident reports. NIH is seeking public comment on the proposal through October 19, 2026.
- The Trump Administration has canceled funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Arctic Report Card, an annual report that has for two decades provided peer-reviewed assessments of changes in the Arctic, including impacts on glaciers, fisheries, and shipping routes. House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) criticized the decision, noting that scientists, the military, businesses, fishermen, and Indigenous communities rely on the report to understand a rapidly changing region and prepare for its impacts.
- The U.S. issued 23% fewer F-1 student visas in 2025 than in 2024, with declines particularly pronounced among students from China and India, two of the largest sources of international students to U.S. institutions. The drop accelerated after the Trump Administration paused student-visa interviews in May 2025 and introduced expanded social-media screening, raising concerns about the continued attractiveness of the U.S. as a destination for international students and researchers.
- The United Nations says the world will inevitably exceed the 1.5°C global warming target established under the Paris Agreement. Even under the most optimistic scenario, global temperatures are projected to peak at 1.8°C above preindustrial levels, while current policies put the world on track for approximately 2.6°C of warming by 2100. The consequences are already evident in more intense heat, droughts, floods, and wildfires; in Nepal, recent flooding attributed to climate change is estimated to have caused $5 billion in damage-equivalent to about 10% of the country's economy.
- A coalition of 25 Republican state attorneys general has called on the Trump Administration to investigate the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and cancel its federal grants, alleging that the organization has used taxpayer funds to produce biased climate-related reports and research. The letter specifically targets NASEM’s recent work on attributing extreme weather events to climate change and follows President Trump’s July post directing a suspension and debarment review of the National Academies over its climate work.
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