Congress Extends Government Funding Until December
A few days prior to the September 30 deadline, the U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operational at current funding levels through December 20, averting a government shutdown. Lawmakers from both chambers left Washington, DC soon after for the final weeks of campaigning before the elections on November 5.
The stopgap bill postpones decisions on the fiscal year 2025 budget until just before Christmas, increasing pressure to conclude negotiations ahead of the holiday break and the new Congress session starting in January. If no agreement is reached by the next deadline, talks could extend into the new year, prolonging funding uncertainties for agencies such as the National Science Foundation.
Despite pleas from the White House, Congress passed the stopgap bill without additional disaster relief funds. Notably, the final bill left out a $10 billion supplemental infusion for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)--less than half of what the White House had requested--that House Republicans had included in their initial stopgap proposal. After the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Helene, President Biden hinted at the possibility of calling Congress back for an emergency session to approve disaster funding. FEMA's current funding, which was extended by the stopgap bill, may run out quickly, making a supplemental funding package necessary later this year.
Senate Committee Advances Legislation to Oversee "Risky Research"
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced the Risky Research Review Act (S. 4667) with an 8-1 vote on September 25. The legislation, introduced by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and revised after negotiations with Committee Chair Gary Peters (D-MI), aims to establish federal oversight for risky life sciences research, such as gain-of-function studies.
The legislation would define 'high-risk life sciences research' and establish a Life Sciences Research Security Board as an independent entity within the Executive Branch to oversee the funding and evaluation of such research. The board would be composed of nongovernmental experts in life sciences, national security, and biosafety and would hold the authority to restrict federal funding for such research without board approval. The board would also handle disclosures and annual reporting, with its leadership appointed by the President and confirmed by the committee.
Prior to being advanced by the committee, changes were made to an earlier version of the bill, including defining terms such as 'dual use research of concern' to be in line with the U.S. government's Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential. The American Society for Microbiology called the revised bill "a step in the right direction."
Report Calls for New Advisory Body for U.S. Biomedical Research
A new report from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) calls for the creation of a new advisory body to guide U.S. biomedical research policy, addressing pressing health challenges such as rising obesity, overdose deaths, health threats from climate change, and health inequities.
The publication, The State of the U.S. Biomedical Research and Health Enterprise: Strategies for Achieving a Healthier America, tackles some of the challenges facing the biomedical research enterprise and assesses whether the United States can continue to be a global leader while addressing the health needs of the nation's aging population. The authors provide a roadmap for revitalizing the enterprise by proposing priorities in five focus areas: strategic vision, funding, health equity, coordination and convergence science, and workforce.
Despite the U.S.'s biomedical successes, including advances in cancer research, AIDS, and COVID-19 vaccines, the country still faces declining life expectancy and fragmented funding, the report finds. The panel suggests a national advisory body could coordinate research efforts across federal agencies, private companies, and philanthropies, ensuring more effective use of existing public and private funding. This body would help address funding gaps in healthcare innovation, improve the translation of scientific discoveries into treatments--bridging what is known as the "valley of death," and help bring approved treatments to patients, known as the "last mile."
In contrast to other countries growing their investments in biomedical research, the panel emphasizes improving coordination of existing funding over increasing the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) budget. The report also advocates for more "convergence science" that integrates biology with fields like engineering, math, and social sciences. It urges reforms to diversify and support the scientific workforce, including immigration policy changes to attract international talent.
While the report wasn't requested by Congress or a federal agency, its recommendations could influence ongoing legislative discussions about NIH reforms (see more on this issue here and here).
OSTP Provides Update on Federal Agency Scientific Integrity Plans
Nineteen federal agencies have updated or strengthened their scientific integrity plans to align with the Biden Administration's effort to enhance the quality of science and data across the government, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
Political interference in science undermines public trust, noted the OSTP. Their new report follows a memorandum from the start of President Biden's term and outlines the implementation status of federal scientific integrity policies and practices at different agencies. It details the multiyear process that led to these new polices, including a report on protecting the integrity of government science, a framework for developing agency plans, and the creation of a committee to make regular assessments.
The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) final scientific integrity policy, developed with broad public input, will take effect on December 30, 2024. The policy articulates the procedures in place at the agency that help maintain rigorous scientific integrity practices and describes several new functions to further enhance scientific integrity at NIH and throughout the biomedical research enterprise.
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plans include measures to safeguard the peer review process and ensure that professional biographical information for members of technical federal advisory committees is readily accessible. The agency also emphasizes that responses to congressional inquiries should be based on the most accurate and relevant scientific data available. EPA's final plans are currently awaiting approval.
The National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and the Interior also have updated policies that are now in effect.
NIH Announces Updates to Data Management and Access Practices
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued an update on the implementation of data management and access practices under its Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Policy. Effective January 25, 2025, the update includes new security standards for approved users of controlled-access genomic data and for repositories storing or providing access to this data.
With the goal of modernizing security standards, approved U.S. and non-U.S. users must now ensure their institutions and third-party systems/cloud providers comply with NIST SP 800-171 or a similar IT security standard. Compliance with the new standards will be part of Data Use Certifications or similar agreements. NIH repositories must adopt the NIST SP 800-53 Moderate IT security standard for data storage and access systems funded by NIH. Additionally, developers accessing controlled-access human genomic data must submit a Developer Use Statement to an NIH Developer Data Access Committee for review.
Resources to prepare for these changes, including a new NIH Security Best Practices page, are available on the NIH Scientific Data Sharing site.
Administration Launches Environmental Justice Climate Corps
The Biden Administration has launched an environmental justice climate corps as part of its broader job training initiative for young workers, known as American Climate Corps.
A collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency and AmeriCorps, the new environmental justice program will employ over 250 workers in pollution-affected communities. This effort is a key aspect of Biden's climate agenda, with the broader American Climate Corps aiming to create 20,000 jobs in its first year.
"I'm really proud to have launched the American Climate Corps, patterned after the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, to put tens of thousands of young people on the path to good-paying clean energy jobs to improve our environment and grow our economy," said President Biden.
Members of the environmental justice climate corps will assist community organizations with pollution reduction and climate resilience projects. Applications open in 2025, though the program's future may be uncertain if former President Trump wins the next election.
New Members Appointed to EPA Science Advisory Panels
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan announced the appointment of four researchers to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), which provides expertise on national air quality standards for pollutants.
The new members include Jeremy Sarnat, an associate professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, who will chair the panel; Jennifer Peel, an epidemiology professor at Colorado State University; Mary Rice, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; and Barbara Turpin, a professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health. Members serve three-year terms on the panel. A major focus for CASAC will be on the review of smog standards, including a planned review of EPA's limits on ground-level ozone. New assessments of the standards for airborne lead and nitrogen oxides are also underway.
Regan also appointed Sarnat and eight others to the EPA's Science Advisory Board, which provides independent scientific and technical advice to the Administrator.
New appointees include Hui Li, professor of environmental soil chemistry at Michigan State University (MSU); John Groopman, professor of preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins University; Wendy Heiger-Bernays, emeritus clinical professor at Boston University's School of Public Health; Jade Mitchell, professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at MSU; Carla Ng, associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh's department of civil and environmental engineering; Lea Hildebrandt-Ruiz, associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin; Elizabeth Boyer, professor of environmental science at Penn State University; and Joshua Graff Zivin, Pacific economic cooperation chair in international economic relations at University of California, San Diego.
Short Takes
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The National Science Board is requesting nominations for its 2025 Vannevar Bush and Science & Society awards. The Vannevar Bush Award honors exceptional lifelong leaders in science and technology, and the Science & Society Award recognizes those who enhance public understanding of science and engineering. Nominations are due October 9, 2024. Learn more.
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The National Academies' Board on Life Sciences is holding its fall board meeting on October 29-30, 2024. This two-day, virtual meeting will include a forward-leaning discussion on issues associated with genetically modified microbes, a session featuring artists who focus on nature and biology, and an exploratory discussion on education and training needs to support current and future careers in the life sciences as contract research organizations become prevalent in the broader scientific ecosystem. An agenda can be found here. Register now.
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The National Academies' Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication is organizing a webinar on October 9, 2024 at 10:00-11:15 AM ET on the challenge of effectively communicating about health and science with lay audiences as evidence evolves, conflicts, or is corrected. Panelists will offer evidence-based insights into how media outlets portray change and conflicting evidence in science and how this affects people's perceptions of science. Register now.
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica M. Bertagnolli recently announced the re-establishment of the Scientific Management Review Board, which was authorized by Congress in the NIH Reform Act of 2006. The board advises and makes recommendations to the NIH director and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on how NIH's various institutes, centers, and research offices are organized within the agency. Members are nominated by the HHS Secretary and consist of directors of NIH institutes and centers and individuals from NIH-funded institutions or with broad expertise regarding NIH functions. The board last met in July 2015.
- Chris Frey, the first Senate-confirmed head of the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) in a decade, has stepped down to return to a university position at North Carolina State University. Frey, who has been with the EPA since 2021, leaves behind a legacy of work on climate change and environmental justice. Maureen Gwinn, currently the research office's principal deputy assistant administrator, will serve as acting head of ORD.
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The National Academies is conducting a study, as requested by the CHIPS and Science Act, to evaluate the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other societal issues related to engineering biology, and make recommendations on research needs related to these issues. Recommendations for experts are sought to build a cross-sector committee of approximately 15 volunteer experts from academia, industry, and government in addition to collecting information for potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications resulting from the study. Nominations can be submitted until October 16, 2024.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from September 23 to October 4, 2024.
Agriculture
Commerce
Environmental Protection Agency
Health and Human Services
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Interior
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation