Government Shutdown Drags On
The federal government shutdown is now in its fifth week, with negotiations between congressional leaders showing little progress despite growing economic and social impacts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has signaled that any deal to advance full-year spending bills will move forward only after Democrats agree to a stopgap measure to reopen federal agencies. Bipartisan discussions are underway in the Senate to potentially pair a continuing resolution with a small package of fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills, but lawmakers remain divided over the length of the funding extension and key Democratic priorities.
Republicans are debating how long to extend current funding levels, with proposals ranging from a short-term measure running into early 2026 to an unusually long stopgap lasting through December 2026. House leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), have rejected Democrats' call for a December 2025 deadline, arguing that a longer extension would provide stability and avoid the year-end omnibus deals they oppose. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to demand that any agreement include an extension of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, a key sticking point in the stalemate.
As federal workers miss paychecks and services across agencies--from agriculture loans to national parks--remain halted, frustration is mounting on Capitol Hill. Senators have floated piecemeal bills to fund essential programs such as food aid and air traffic control, but those efforts have been blocked amid partisan infighting. Meanwhile, last week a federal court indefinitely blocked the Trump Administration from proceeding with planned layoffs during the shutdown.
While some senators express cautious optimism that this week's off-year elections could shift the political calculus, no clear end is in sight. With mounting strain on federal workers and critical services, pressure is intensifying on Congress and the White House to find a path forward to reopen the government.
EPA Launches Sweeping Reorganization Amid Shutdown and Staff Uncertainty
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with a broad internal reorganization--dismantling several long-standing offices and launching new entities focused on applied science and state partnerships--even as the partial government shutdown continues.
Starting today, the agency is eliminating both the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) and the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), replacing them with newly formed offices that leadership says will better align with industry and state needs. The restructuring follows the earlier rollout of the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES), which officially replaced the former Office of Research and Development (ORD) last month.
Under the new structure, OAR's responsibilities for climate and pollution regulation will be divided between two new entities: the Office of Clean Air Programs, which will include branches focused on "Oil, Gas, and Coal" and "Refining & Chemical Production" industries, and the Office of State Air Partnerships, which will emphasize collaboration with state regulators. Environmental advocates warned that the reorganization could weaken federal oversight of air quality standards and shift the agency's focus toward industry interests.
Meanwhile, OLEM's functions will consolidate into the Office of Superfund and Emergency Management, combining three remediation and emergency response offices. Some emergency management functions will move directly under the EPA Administrator--mirroring recommendations from Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for reorganizing federal agencies.
EPA staff and unions have voiced growing concern over potential layoffs and the erosion of science-driven policymaking. Last month, employees in the Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division received layoff notices, and many scientists formerly in ORD remain in limbo as they await reassignment.
The newly created OASES--now housed within the Office of the Administrator--represents a fundamental shift in how EPA manages its research portfolio. The office consists of five divisions: Children's Health Protection, Science Engagement, Applied Science and Environmental Methods, Coastal Science Solutions, and Environmental Solutions. With roughly one-third the staff and budget of its predecessor, OASES will focus on "practical, solution-oriented projects that align directly with the immediate needs, goals, and requirements." Two of its three top leadership positions remain unfilled.
Many career scientists have expressed unease about the move, warning that the new reporting structure could expose EPA research to political influence and deprioritize forward-looking work on emerging issues such as PFAS contamination and microplastics. "Organizing scientists to be under the thumb of the Administrator raises the serious concern that future scientific research at the agency will be subject to political interference," one EPA staffer said, according to E&E News.
EPA officials maintain that the new structure will streamline operations and improve responsiveness to environmental threats. Yet the sweeping restructuring--among the most significant in EPA's history--could permanently reshape how the nation's top environmental regulator conducts science, enforces laws, and partners with states in the years ahead.
Interior Department's Layoff Plans
Recently filed court documents reveal that the Department of the Interior plans to eliminate over 2,000 jobs across its agencies, including major cuts to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and the Office of the Secretary.
According the plan, the Office of the Secretary would see the deepest cuts (about 770 jobs), followed by BLM (474 jobs), USGS (330+ jobs), NPS (270), and FWS (142). The disclosure came as part of a federal court case in California, where Judge Susan Illston last week indefinitely blocked layoffs for federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown.
USGS faces severe cuts at several science centers--108 of 137 positions at the Great Lakes Science Center, 80 of 102 at the Columbia Environmental Research Center, 28 of 40 positions at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, and 39 of 69 at the Fort Collins Science Center--potentially crippling research on invasive species, habitat management, and climate impacts.
Within FWS, the Migratory Bird Program would lose 35 of its 269 employees, accounting for about one-quarter of the agency's planned cuts, drawing criticism from conservationists who warn the reductions would weaken protections for migratory bird populations. Additional cuts are planned for the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program and several national wildlife refuges.
At BLM, most layoffs would hit state offices, including 95 positions in Oregon/Washington and 93 in Utah. NPS would see substantial reductions at its regional offices and the Denver Service Center, potentially disrupting maintenance work and efforts to protect natural and cultural resources.
House Science Democrats Urge NSF to Reverse GRFP Changes
House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Research & Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Haley Stevens (D-MI) sent a letter to Acting National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Brian Stone urging the agency to reconsider recent changes to the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
The lawmakers criticized NSF's decision to exclude second-year Ph.D. students from eligibility and to shorten the application window from 98 to 49 days, calling the move "cruel and destabilizing" for graduate students.
The letter argues that NSF's shortened solicitation period violates its own policy requiring a minimum 90-day notice for proposal submissions and undermines efforts to broaden participation, especially among students at under-resourced institutions. The lawmakers also pointed to NSF's failure to meet CHIPS and Science Act targets for awarding 3,000 fellowships annually, as well as the recent termination of numerous STEM education awards.
They urged NSF to reinstate second-year eligibility, extend the application window, and provide greater transparency in policy decisions affecting the research community.
Former OSTP Director Warns Trump R&D Cuts Threaten U.S. Innovation
Former White House science adviser Arati Prabhakar called the Trump Administration's research funding cuts an "assault on the public investment in research," warning that their effects will be felt for years to come.
Speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School, the former Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said the Administration's proposed $44 billion reduction in federal research and development (R&D) spending--combined with attacks on universities and restrictive immigration policies--has severely weakened the nation's science and technology enterprise.
Prabhakar emphasized that public research investments underpin key advances in national security, health, energy, and the environment, areas where private industry tends to underinvest. "Implicit in the American funding of research and development is the understanding that in doing that work, we are also laying the basic research foundation on top of which our industries grow and thrive and sometimes are created," Prabhakar said. "Even if we magically reversed all the destruction today, we still are going to have many, many, many years of impact down the road."
Recent U.S. Graduates Exempt from New H-1B Fee
The Trump Administration has clarified that the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee will not apply to recent graduates of U.S. institutions transitioning from an F-1 student visa to an H-1B, as this is considered a "change of status." While the guidance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services allows for exceptions on an individual basis, it appears to rule out a blanket exemption for higher education institutions.
The American Council on Education has asked the Department of Homeland Security to exempt U.S. colleges and universities from the fee, noting that "faculty, researchers, and staff hired under H-1Bs educate domestic students in areas of national need, such as health care, engineering, and education fields." Other organizations have also urged broader relief and filed lawsuits challenging the fee's implementation.
Webinar: Natural History Collections and Repatriation - Beyond NAGPRA
Please join NSC Alliance, American Institute of Biological Sciences, and Society for the preservation of Natural History Collections for an information session about repatriation and how it relates to natural history collections held at museums, herbaria, and other institutions. We will be joined by a wide array of speakers who will share their perspectives on and experiences with repatriation, including cases for voluntary return. The program will delve into a zoological and a botanical case study of ethical return.
Date: December 8, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern Time / 12:00-1:00 PM Mountain Time / 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific Time
A previous webinar we organized covered repatriation under Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in the context of natural history collections. The December webinar will focus on repatriation issues outside NAGPRA's scope and will be recorded.
Intended audience:
- Collections and curatorial staff across natural history disciplines (e.g., zoology, botany, geology, paleontology)
- Tribal, Native Hawaiian, and institutional representatives engaged in repatriation and dispersed cultural legacies
- Researchers, students, and everyone else working with or interested in issues of repatriation and dispersed cultural legacies
Register Now.
Short Takes
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is holding a hybrid two-day workshop on December 2-3, 2025 focused on the future directions for Earth observations and data stewardship. Participants will discuss how to enhance governance structures, support innovation, and promote better coordination across the growing network of Earth observation providers and users. Learn more and register.
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Kyle Walsh, a neuroepidemiologist and close friend of Vice President JD Vance, who even officiated his wedding, has been abruptly appointed head of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) at NIH. The unusual hiring bypassed the standard NIH search process, replacing Richard Woychik, who has led NIEHS since 2020 and was renewed this year for a second 5-year term. While Walsh brings strong neuroscience credentials, the move has sparked concerns that political connections are influencing top scientific appointments.
- Alicia Jackson has been sworn in as Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which funds high-risk, high-reward biomedical research. Jackson brings extensive public and private sector experience, including leadership roles at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and as founder and CEO of health tech companies Evernow and Drawbridge Health. This presidentially appointed position does not require Senate confirmation.
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Acting National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has expressed interest in bringing NASA under his purview at the Transportation Department, according to The Wall Street Journal. NASA officials said Duffy has not stated he wants the top job permanently. Reports indicate Jared Isaacman--Elon Musk ally and original nominee for the position--may be back in consideration. The news follows tensions between Duffy and Musk, who criticized Duffy after he reopened competition for the Artemis III lunar lander contract, citing SpaceX's delays.
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The Senate voted 72-25 to uphold a Biden-era Fish and Wildlife Service plan allowing the killing of invasive barred owls to protect the endangered northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) led the failed resolution to overturn the rule, calling it "arrogant" and "stupid," and using his signature humor to denounce what he called "DEI for owls." The plan has garnered support from lawmakers across party lines, the Trump Administration, as well as the logging industry.
