DOE Science; NIH Changes; McMahon
BU IN DC
Kevin Outterson of CARB-X met with Congressional offices to discuss antimicrobial resistance on May 11th.
Brian Walsh of the College of Engineering talked with Congressional staff about federal investment in space weather research as part of the Heliophysics Coalition’s Capitol Hill fly-in on May 12th.
John Connor of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories discussed federal support for National Biocontainment Labs with Congressional offices on May 13th and 14th.
BUZZ BITS…
- The House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee released a draft spending bill yesterday that would increase the Department of Energy Office of Science budget by 1.5% and decrease the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) budget by 10% in fiscal year 2027. The measure will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee next week. The Senate has not yet released a proposed energy spending bill.
- On Tuesday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) led a letter from 25 Senators requesting that President Donald J. Trump and Acting Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Brian Stone answer questions about the dismissal of the National Science Board. The letter highlights the challenges NSF faces without a governing board, permanent director, and deputy director, and with a significantly reduced number of staff.
- The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee have each passed a version of the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, which would continue the National Quantum Initiative until 2032. A compromise bill will need to be approved by both chambers of Congress before the bill can be signed into law.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
Advisory councils across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened earlier this year for their first round of meetings to discuss agency-wide issues and Institute- and Center-specific priorities. Several of the Councils covered similar themes, including NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy, the effects of the fall 2025 government shutdown, changes to peer review, and efforts to streamline administrative processes. Councils also weighed in on the NIH’s scientific priorities, such as scientific rigor and reproducibility, artificial intelligence, and human-based research models. Notable concept clearances that were approved can be found here
LAWMAKERS QUESTION MCMAHON ON GRADUATE LOANS
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday regarding the President’s Budget Request, which recommends a 2.9% reduction in the Department of Education’s (ED) budget. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized ED’s decision to subject graduate students in nursing, teacher preparation, and social work programs to lower federal loan limits starting in July 2026. They also expressed bipartisan support for TRIO college preparatory programs, which the Trump Administration has proposed to eliminate. Committee members did demonstrate partisan differences: Republicans praised ED’s efforts to detect student aid fraud by expanding identification requirements, while Democrats criticized staffing reductions at ED’s Office of Civil Rights.