NSF to Abolish Programmatic Divisions
The Trump Administration is abolishing all 37 divisions within the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of an effort to consolidate the agency. These divisions will be replaced by five focus areas, including biotechnology and translational science.
According to sources within the agency and as first reported by Science, most current NSF leadership in these divisions will lose their positions. Nearly 60 percent of leadership and managerial positions will be eliminated, although some personnel may be reassigned to other positions. Moreover, there will be an 81 percent reduction in "rotators"--academics who work temporarily at NSF for just a few years. Additionally, all remaining staff who had worked remotely must begin working in-person at NSF's headquarters in Northern Virginia by June 16th.
A leaked memo that outlines these changes also includes another round of terminations of awarded grants. More than $1 billion in grants have already been rescinded in prior weeks.
In the days before this news broke, NSF had eliminated an education division that focused on equity, including firing all of the staff. Just days later the agency reversed course after a federal judge blocked the firings of federal workers at multiple agencies, including NSF.
The turmoil at NSF is causing concern among Democratic members of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. They sent a letter to the acting NSF director that calls into question the legality of recent actions at the agency. The Representatives wrote of the terminations of more than 1,400 grants: "Not only are these terminations an abdication of NSF's mission and a betrayal of the scientific community, including the thousands of graduate students and early career researchers whose careers will be derailed, but they are also of questionable legal merit. The grant terminations are in direct defiance of a court-ordered preliminary injunction enjoining NSF from impeding the disbursement of appropriated federal funds..."
Concerns have also been raised by a member of the National Science Board, Alondra Nelson, Ph.D. She resigned from the body in an op-ed that criticized the Trump Administration's "creeping normalization of authoritarian approaches to knowledge management and academic freedom." Nelson is a former head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Update on Federal Personnel Actions
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from broad layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers at several agencies. The judge ruled that federal law gives the President the ability to reorganize the government, but the administration must follow legal requirements for the process.
The ruling blocks any existing or new reduction in force until May 23 at the National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, and Health and Human Services, among other agencies. In the meanwhile, many government employees who were laid off are uncertain about their employment status.
Prior to the court decision, the Department of the Interior announced an indefinite freeze on reassignments of employees and changes to work locations while a reduction in force is formulated.
Meanwhile, the deferred resignation program at the Environmental Protection Agency has resulted in nearly 20 percent of staffers electing to leave or retire early. The initiative reduced the age and service requirements for an employee to opt for paid administrative leave until September before leaving federal service.
Senate Advancing Natural Resources Nominees
Several of President Trump's nominees for leadership roles within the Department of the Interior are advancing in the Senate.
Last week, the Senate confirmed Katharine MacGregor to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior and James Danly to be Deputy Secretary of Energy. MacGregor served in this role during the first Trump Administration. Danly chaired the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during Trump's first term.
Two other nominations advanced out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Andrea Travnicek, Ph.D. was nominated to serve as Interior's Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, a role that oversees the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Reclamation. She was previously the head of North Dakota's departments for water resources and parks. Travnicek has a Ph.D. in natural resources management. Leslie Beyer is the President's nominee for Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management and other Interior agencies; she previously ran an energy trade association. Travnicek's and Beyer's nominations are awaiting a vote by the full Senate.
The Senate committee also held a hearing on the nominations of Ned Mamula, Ph.D. to lead the USGS and Conner Prochaska to be the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
Mamula has a Ph.D. in geological and earth sciences from Texas A&M University and worked at the USGS for about 16 years earlier in his career. Prochaska previously served as the chief commercialization officer for the Department of Energy during the first Trump Administration.
During the hearing, Mamula promised to approach research grant funding in a non-partisan manner. "We are scientists. If we get into the weeds of politics, it kind of spoil [sic] our credibly and I would never do that to the USGS."
When asked about scientific data retention, Mamula said "...with the capacity of data storage today, there's really no need to dispose of data. We can hang on to data as long as we need to....This is a priority. USGS is a data factory. ... What is produced there should be also saved."
Neither nominee seemed to face much push back until Senator Angus King (I-ME) pointed out the discrepancy between what the nominees were saying and the actions of the current administration. "Let's get real here and try to face the reality," said King. "We come here and talk about how wonderful USGS is and how wonderful ARPA-E is--which I think it is. At the same time ... these two agencies are being cut in one case by over 50 percent and in the other case by a third. It just doesn't pass the straight face test."
Executive Order Limits 'Dangerous' Research
President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order that will halt certain gain-of-function research on biological agents and pathogens in foreign counties. Such research is defined in the order as an infectious agent or toxin with the potential to cause disease by increased pathogenicity or transmissibility.
The presidential order directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to issue guidance to end U.S. federal funding of gain-of-function research conducted by China and other "foreign entities in countries of concern." The order also includes restrictions on federally funded life science research that occurs in countries "...where there is not adequate oversight to ensure that the countries are compliant with United States oversight standards and policies and that could reasonable pose a threat to public health, public safety, and economic or national security..."
OSTP is directed to develop and implement a strategy to track and limit all gain-of-function research, including domestic, non-federally funded research. To that end, research institutions that receive federal funding must report gain-of-function research that they perform, whether federally funded or not.
Going forward, every federally life science research grantee will have to agree to comply with these new policies; violations would be subject to a revocation of funding and a five year ineligibility period.
Appropriators Consider USDA Budget Proposal
The Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees that oversee agricultural funding recently held hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), even though the full details of the President's budget proposal are not yet available.
Members of both political parties raised concerns about the impounding of congressionally approved funding by the administration and the removal of experienced staff across agriculture programs.
Chair of the Senate Committee Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) asked about the status of $20 billion that were previously appropriated by Congress. "Farmers, landowners, loggers, and natural resource businesses that have applied for USDA loans still have no clarity about what decisions will be made."
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said that the Department is following court orders and the law, "...working line by line, around the clock..." to complete reviews of funding to determine if it is aligned with the Trump Administration's priorities. Three-quarters of the funds have been released to date and reviews of the remaining $5 billion should be complete by the end of May.
That answer did not satisfy the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee. "The very mission of USDA is under incredible threat from this administration," said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). "We are seeing dedicated researchers and experts who are being pushed out the door. Research safety efforts have been put on hold. Funds that Congress passed have been frozen and canceled by this administration."
In a heated exchange during the House hearing, Secretary Rollins claimed that the funding freeze and review was necessary because of funding going to questionable purposes, like a $600,000 grant to study "...the menstrual cycle of transgender mice..." When questioned by a committee member about the accuracy of that claim, the Secretary countered "it is actually an example."
The highest ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee rebutted: "You took great satisfaction in canceling a grant to a university for a study of the menstrual cycle of transgender men, which really doesn't sound like a USDA study -- and it wasn't," said House Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (D-GA). The grant, according to Bishop, was actually to study fibers from regeneratively grown cotton, wool, and hemp that could be used in feminine hygiene products and underwear.
Agricultural research was a major focus of the Senate hearing, with bipartisan questions in support of USDA's scientific mission. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said during the hearing: "The proposed budget toplines ... fall well short of the President's purported commitments to farmers and rural communities. I don't believe we support farmers by gutting research that will boost yields and improve crop quality... Yet, that's exactly what this skinny budget would do."
The Secretary repeatedly stated that the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) would not see an across the board cut under the proposed budget. The 7 percent proposed funding reduction would be achieved by closing specific "outdated" ARS facilities; further details were not provided. "While it is a cut, it's not a massive cut....I believe that none of [the key research] will be compromised," state Rollins.
Senator Murray also pointed out that more than 15,000 employees have been left the agency--about 15 percent of the Department's workforce. She stated that within ARS many scientists have been reinstated, but many support staff have not have their employment reinstated. Secretary Rollins claimed that this magnitude of turnover is in line with normal staff turnover and attrition, even though she later stated that annual attrition is typically between 8,000 and 10,000.
The Secretary of Agriculture also told the committees that decisions are forthcoming about relocating department staff across the country to put them closer to the people they serve. During the first Trump term, USDA relocated two scientific agencies from Washington, DC to Missouri, resulting in loss of more than half of the staff and significant staffing vacancies lingering for years. The decision was reversed during the Biden Administration.
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 Institutes of Health will no longer allow subawards to collaborators in foreign countries. Instead, scientists in other countries will have to apply directly for their own grant from NIH. The policy change is anticipated to take effect no later than September 30, 2025.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has decommissioned certain scientific data sets on snow and ice, including sea ice extent and photographic records of glaciers. Going forward, these data will remain accessible online but will not be "actively maintained, updated, or fully supported," according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which maintained the data.
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An environmental group has released national data on climate emissions for 2023 after the Trump Administration failed to do so. The Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks is required to be reported to the United Nations per an international treaty; this is the first time that the United States did not meet its reporting obligations. The administration refused to make the report public last month and was obtained by an environmental group through a Freedom of Information Act request.
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A bipartisan group of former leaders of the National Science Foundation wrote to Congress to urge lawmakers to reject the President's "draconian budget plan" for the agency. The president's budget proposal would cut NSF funding by 57 percent. The letter states in part: "Such a budget would thwart scientific progress, decimate the research workforce, and take a decade or more to recover. Achieving the President's vision requires a major enhancement of the NSF budget, ideally a doubling of the FY25 level over the next few years and sufficient staff to execute this vision. In the current political climate, we know this is a bold request. We make it, nonetheless..."
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The United Nations Environment Programme is seeking nominations of scientific and technical experts for the Informal Advisory Group for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, with a focus on marine and coastal biodiversity. Nominations are due by June 13, 2025. More information is posted at https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2025/ntf-2025-064-ibsa-iag-en.pdf.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from May 5 to 16, 2025.
Commerce
Education
Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
Executive Office of the President
Health and Human Services
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
