Science Policy News from AIBS

Detailed NSF Budget Request Released

President Trump released his detailed fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request last Friday, expanding on his proposal to cut the National Science Foundation (NSF) by 57%, reducing its $9 billion budget to about $3.9 billion.

The proposed cuts would drastically reduce the likelihood of receiving NSF research grants, with success rates plummeting from 26% to just 7%. This shift would transform an already competitive funding process into what many scientists view as a lottery. As a result, the number of researchers, educators, and students receiving NSF support would shrink by about 73%. Funding for training the next generation of scientists and engineers would be cut by two-thirds, and the $1.4 billion currently dedicated to increasing workforce diversity would be eliminated. The CAREER program, which provides 5-year grants to early-career investigators, would also be terminated.

Despite the administration's emphasis on national priorities such as advanced manufacturing and biotechnology, the proposal paradoxically slashes funding in these areas. Investment in advanced manufacturing would fall by 65%, microelectronics by 54%, and biotechnology by 30%. Only artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science (QIS) would avoid cuts, with AI seeing a modest 3% increase and QIS funding remaining unchanged.

Research and Related Activities at NSF would see an overall 61% cut. Funding for the Biological Sciences (BIO) directorate would be slashed by 71.5% relative to FY 2024 enacted, with the other directorates also seeing sizable reductions:

STEM Education: -75%
Computer and Information Science and Engineering: -65%
Engineering: -75%
Geosciences: -45%
Mathematical and Physical Sciences: -67%
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences: -68%
Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships: -43%
Integrative Activities: -59%

In FY 2026, the BIO Directorate would focus on advancing biotechnology, AI, and QIS in alignment with administration priorities. Priorities include supporting innovative biotech research to drive solutions in health, agriculture, and energy; enhancing research at the intersection of biology and AI by funding data generation and tool development; and investing in workforce training to prepare for an estimated 1 million new biotechnology-related jobs by 2030.

Notably, the budget maintains construction funding for new research infrastructure projects, after removing those funds from the finalized FY 2025 budget earlier this year. The proposal allocates $251 million (+7%) for major facilities, including $201 million to complete a $500 million supercomputer at the University of Texas at Austin. However, NSF's long-stalled renovation of its Antarctic research stations would receive only $24 million, significantly less than the $60 million per year that had been anticipated.

The proposal avoids large-scale layoffs at NSF but still aims to reduce its 1,550-person workforce by 15%. It also dramatically reduces the number of academic scientists who serve temporary stints at the agency, known as "rotators," dropping from 300 to just 70.

If enacted, Trump's FY 2026 budget request would fundamentally weaken the NSF's ability to support American scientific leadership, crippling research capacity, undercutting education and workforce development, and narrowing the nation's future innovation pipeline. The proposal now awaits congressional consideration.

Trump Issues Executive Order on 'Gold Standard Science'

President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order last week directing federal agencies to revise their scientific integrity policies in accordance with principles of "Gold Standard Science." The order mandates public disclosure of data influencing key policies, reinstates Trump-era scientific integrity policies, and requires agencies to review and align Biden-era regulations with the new standards.

"Gold Standard Science" is defined in the order as research that is reproducible, transparent, communicative of error and uncertainty, subject to unbiased peer review, clear about errors and uncertainties, skeptical of its findings and assumptions, collaborative, interdisciplinary, structured for falsifiability of hypotheses, accepting of negative results, and free from conflicts of interest. In updating their scientific integrity policies, the order asks agencies to encourage the open exchange of ideas, provide for consideration of different or dissenting viewpoints, and protect employees from efforts to prevent or deter consideration of alternative scientific opinions.

Enforcement of the new policies will fall to political appointees designated by each agency head. The order tasks the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with issuing implementation guidance within 30 days. Agencies must then update their internal science policies in coordination with OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget.

During a speech at the National Academy of Sciences on May 19, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios stated: "At the heart of the practices that make up Gold Standard Science is a suspicion of blind consensus and a celebration of informed dissent. For the crisis of confidence in scientists stems from fear that political biases are displacing the vital search for truth." He also called out DEI initiatives as "an existential threat to the real diversity of thought that forms the foundation of the scientific community."

Critics warn that the order could politicize science by placing enforcement power in the hands of non-expert appointees, potentially sidelining scientific expertise and weakening existing safeguards. While the order frames its goals as promoting transparency and innovation, opponents argue it could be used to suppress inconvenient findings and reshape federal science to align with political agendas.

NSF Pivots to External Funding for Graduate Research Fellows

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is launching a pilot initiative--the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellows Partnership Opportunity--to attract external funding from industry, philanthropic organizations, and state governments to help support its graduate research fellows.

Announced during a recent National Science Board (NSB) meeting, the initiative comes in response to severe budget uncertainty. This year, NSF awarded only 1,000 fellowships--down from more than 2,000 in prior years--despite a record 3,137 applicants receiving honorable mentions.

"We are in a situation that thousands of very deserving, bright students, who are American citizens or residents, really are left without support, and oftentimes we potentially are losing them," said NSB member Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska.

The new partnership opportunity would allow external funders to sponsor three-year fellowships for honorable mention recipients, with flexibility to select fellows based on specific criteria such as research focus or geographic region. While introducing the initiative, the NSB avoided public discussion of proposed deep cuts to NSF's budget and related internal turmoil.

Health Secretary Grilled by Senate Appropriators

In a tense Senate appropriations hearing held on May 20, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questions from both parties over proposed budget cuts to biomedical research and agency reorganization efforts. Senators on the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee expressed frustration over staffing cuts, delays in grant funding, and lack of transparency in HHS decision-making.

Kennedy defended his $94 billion budget proposal--which slashes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 40% and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by 43%--as focused on preventing chronic disease, but clashed with several lawmakers. Democratic senators criticized NIH funding reductions and questioned unspent biomedical research funds, with Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) highlighting a $3 billion shortfall in NIH spending and 3,200 fewer grants awarded. "Whose decision is it to withhold thousands of grants and billions in funding for lifesaving biomedical research?" Baldwin asked.

Kennedy also faced bipartisan pushback on staff cuts at agencies like CDC's Office on Smoking and Health and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, particularly from Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Baldwin, who raised concerns about local impacts in their states. The Secretary defended reorganization as an effort to reduce redundancy, while suggesting NIH had become inefficient, particularly in Alzheimer's research.

Republicans and Democrats alike raised alarms about the broader implications for public health and scientific leadership, urging more collaboration and clarity from HHS moving forward. "HHS has always worked with Congress when considering and designing reorganizations, and I encourage you and your staff to work closely with us as you move forward," said Capito.

Before this hearing, Kennedy also appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees HHS spending and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he faced sharp criticism from Democrats and mixed responses from Republicans. Some Republicans on the House panel, such as Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL), praised Kennedy's reform goals. However, others, including Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), expressed concerns about rushed reorganization efforts and the proposed 15% cap on indirect research costs. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) also criticized the cap as "arbitrary" and "poorly thought out."

Zeldin Faces Bipartisan Blowback Over Deep EPA Budget Cuts

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin faced bipartisan pushback during a Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing over the Trump administration's proposal to slash the agency's budget by 55%, reducing it from $9.1 billion to $4.2 billion--the lowest since 1986 .

Lawmakers raised concerns over drastic reductions in funding for environmental justice programs, water infrastructure, and agency staffing. Democrats accused the administration of undermining science and public health, while Subcommittee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called many of the proposed cuts "problematic." More than 3,000 EPA employees have opted for early retirement or deferred resignation amid restructuring and potential layoffs.

Murkowski and Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) questioned the feasibility of the EPA fulfilling its statutory obligations under the proposed budget. In response, Zeldin defended the cuts as efforts to enhance efficiency and eliminate funding for "unqualified recipients." He also highlighted plans to roll back regulations to promote economic growth, including easing restrictions on coal-fired power plants and "forever chemicals" in drinking water.

NSF Imposes DEI and Israel Boycott Restrictions on Grant Recipients

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has updated its grant terms to prohibit recipients from operating certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or participating in boycotts of Israel. These restrictions apply to all new grants and amendments to existing grants. The new conditions follow similar measures recently adopted by the National Institutes of Health.

Under the policy, grantees must certify that they do not run programs that "advance or promote DEI" in a way that violates federal anti-discrimination laws or engage in boycotts of Israeli-affiliated organizations. Violations can lead to termination of funding. However, the policy lacks a clear definition of what constitutes an unlawful DEI program, likely to create uncertainty among institutions.

AIBS Submits Testimony in Support of FY 2026 Funding for NSF

AIBS has provided testimony to the House Appropriations Committee urging Congress to provide the National Science Foundation (NSF) with at least $9.9 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2026.

The testimony reads, in part: "Biological research is a national imperative. It deepens our understanding of the living world and drives innovative solutions to critical challenges. Advancing knowledge of genes, cells, organisms, and ecosystems is essential to improving the human condition. From food security and public health to national defense, economic growth, and environmental stewardship, the biological sciences provide a foundational framework for informed decision-making and meaningful progress."

AIBS urged Congress to reject the President's proposed 57% budget cut for NSF and instead provide at least $9.9 billion for the agency in FY 2026--restoring the agency to its FY 2023 funding level and reaffirming our national commitment to scientific excellence. "Providing NSF with at least $9.9 billion in FY 2026 is necessary to undo the harmful effects of years of underinvestment in research," AIBS argued.

Read the testimony submitted to House appropriators. A similar letter will be submitted to the Senate.

Societies Write to Congress in Support of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area

AIBS joined the Ecological Society of America and more than 50 other scientific organizations in sending letters to the Senate Appropriations, House Appropriations, Senate Energy & Natural Resources, and House Natural Resources Committees expressing full support for the Ecosystems Mission Area within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The letters urge Congress to fully fund the Ecosystems Mission Area--USGS's biological research arm--at its FY 2025 funding level in the FY 2026 federal budget for the agency, so that it can "continue its critical work of maintaining our nation's natural resources, ensuring environmental health, and protecting public health."

These letters to Congress follow a similar letter that was shared with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum earlier this month.

AIBS Signs Letter in Support of USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers

AIBS has signed on to a community letter expressing strong support for the U.S. Geological Survey's National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) and urging that they be fully funded in the fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget, at the FY 2025 funding level at a minimum, to continue their critical mission.

The letter reads, in part: "The CASCs are unique federal-academic partnerships that conduct regionally tailored, decision-driven climate research and deliver adaptation solutions directly to federal, Tribal, state, and local stakeholders. These centers translate cutting-edge science into usable information that supports all regions of the country, including public lands and working landscapes that are essential to agriculture and forestry, as well as hunting and fishing. Their work not only protects our nation's natural resources, it also helps avoid costly damages and economic losses through proactive, science-informed decision-making."

Read the letter.

AIBS Joins Letter Urging Transparency & Oversight Regarding Federal Workforce Reductions

AIBS has signed on to a letter urging greater transparency and oversight regarding potential Reduction-in-Force (RIF) and reorganization plans for federal agencies critical to our nation's scientific enterprise and public health infrastructure.

The letter reads, in part: "We request the immediate public release of these plans and robust public and expert consultation before any irreversible actions are taken. The potential consequences of widespread, opaque RIFs and reorganizations within agencies under your committees' jurisdiction - agencies responsible for vital research, health services, regulatory oversight, and public safety functions - are immense. Without transparency, stakeholders vital to the scientific and health ecosystem, including researchers, scientists, public health professionals, healthcare providers, academic institutions, patient advocacy groups, and organizations dedicated to scientific integrity, are left unable to provide crucial feedback or prepare for potential disruptions. We risk undermining long-term research projects, interrupting essential public health detection, monitoring and reporting, damaging our national capacity to respond to health crises, and jeopardizing the scientific workforce pipeline."

More than 75 organizations signed on. Read the letter.

Meet with Your Lawmakers This Summer and Help Inform Science Policy

The American Institute of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2025 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.

Now in its 16th year, this national initiative is an opportunity for biologists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase the people, facilities, and equipment that are required to support and conduct scientific research. This initiative helps to put a face on science and to remind lawmakers that science is happening in their district and state.

The Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event enables scientists, graduate students, representatives of research facilities, and people affiliated with scientific collections to meet with their federal or state elected officials without traveling to Washington, DC. Participating scientists can meet with their elected officials at the local district office or invite them to visit their research facility.

"I am grateful for the experience, which has enriched my professional development. I am particularly pleased to think that we started a conversation with Rep. Joyce Beatty's office that will continue in the future. I encourage everyone to reach out beyond their scientific community, which includes explaining your science to your district offices."

- Coralie Farinas, Graduate Student, Ohio State University

AIBS will schedule participants' meetings with lawmakers and will prepare participants through online training and one-on-one support. Meetings will take place mid-July through October, depending on the participant's schedule and their lawmaker's availability. Read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

This event is made possible by the American Institute of Biological Sciences, with the support of event sponsors American Society of Primatologists, Botanical Society of America, Organization of Biological Field Stations, Paleontological Society, and Society for the Study of Evolution.

Registration for participation is free, but required and closes on July 14, 2025. To learn more and register, visit io.aibs.org/cdv.

Short Takes

The National Academies is conducting a fast-track consensus study with a committee that is focusing on reviewing and prioritizing federal actions that could improve regulatory efficiency. The committee is requesting information from those working in the academic research community and their experiences with administrative burden.
The Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate at the National Science Foundation is hosting two virtual office hours in June that may be of interest to the NSC Alliance community. The Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences will host a Virtual Office Hour on June 11 at 2pm ET on "Tips on Writing a Competitive NSF Proposal." Register here. The Division of Integrative Organismal Systems will host a Virtual Office Hour on June 18 at 1pm ET to discuss NSF's Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). Register here.
A New York Times analysis found that the Administration has terminated more than 1,600 existing research grants at the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $1.5 billion. Grants awarded by NSF dropped by 51% in 2025 compared to the average for the previous decade. The report shows useful charts, including breakdowns for various directorates. For example, $28 million in existing grants were canceled at the Biological Sciences Directorate, while STEM Education lost about $656 million.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly disbanded the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), a long-standing body focused on pollution's disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. The move follows a Trump directive to reduce "unnecessary" federal panels. NEJAC, created in 1993, advised the EPA on environmental justice and produced reports on key policy issues. Two newer advisory councils established during the Biden Administration -- the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council -- were also eliminated.

From the Federal Register

The following items appeared in the Federal Register from May 19 to 30, 2025.

Agriculture