News

Trump Science Plans; McMahon; DARPA

BU IN DC

Julie Wickstrom of Enrollment and Student Administration joined the Higher Education Loan Coalition for meetings with Congressional offices and Department of Education officials regarding federal financial aid from May 18th to 21st.

Catherine Klapperich of the College of Engineering discussed federal investments in women’s health research with Congressional staff as part of Women’s Health Hill Day on May 21st.

Gerald Denis of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine participated in the Association of American Cancer Institutes and American Association for Cancer Research annual Hill Day on Thursday, May 22nd.

KRATSIOS LAYS OUT ADMINISTRATION'S SCIENCE PRIORITIES

On Monday, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said the Trump Administration wants to support "Gold Standard" science that is reproducible and transparent. During remarks on "Reinvigorating America’s Scientific Enterprise" delivered at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Kratsios said that diversity initiatives "degrade our scientific enterprise" and that the public has a "crisis of confidence" in science because "political biases are displacing the vital search for truth." He added that "spending more money on the wrong things is far worse than spending less money on the right things." In response to a question from NAS Director Marcia McNutt, Kratsios said he did not believe that scientists were considering leaving the United States to work abroad due to the current changes at federal science agencies.

Read his remarks

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS FOCUS ON NIH CUTS, COLLEGE PREP PROGRAMS, AND STUDENT VISAS

Trump Administration Cabinet secretaries faced sharp questioning from Congressional Democrats during several Appropriations Committee hearings on Capitol Hill this week.

• Secretary of Education Linda McMahon answered questions from House Appropriations Committee Democrats on Wednesday about the reorganization of the Department of Education and cuts to its staff. Committee Republicans urged more action to address the "influence of the Chinese Communist Party" and antisemitism on campuses. McMahon defended the Administration's proposal to eliminate TRIO and GEAR UP college preparation programs, asserting the federal government should center career and technical training.
• Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy claimed public colleges have appropriately used reimbursements for facilities & administrative costs from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), while some wealthy private universities have abused them during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. He also asserted that NIH "has gone off the rails over the past 20 years," citing its support for certain types of Alzheimer's disease research.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday how many student visas the Trump Administration had terminated. He responded, "I don't know the latest count, but we probably have more to do." Rubio also claimed a BU School of Public Health tracker that estimated the number of deaths attributable to the dismantling of USAID was "false or fake."

BUZZ BITS...

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), a bill that would expand the college endowment excise tax and reduce federal support for student loans and Pell Grants, by a vote of 215 to 214 on Thursday. The bill advances to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to take a different approach to the tax package.
• Last Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued an internal memorandum signaling that the Department of Defense would cap reimbursement for facilities & administrative costs for university grantees at 15%. The Department has not yet issued public guidance on how the cap will be implemented; similar proposals at other federal agencies are currently on hold due to lawsuits.
• The Department of Defense has two new science leaders: Emil Michael is under secretary of defense for research and engineering and Steve Winchell is director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Michael previously served as chief business officer at Uber and Winchell came from the Department's Strategic Capabilities Office.
• On Tuesday, Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey sent a letter to the White House expressing concerns with the Administration's recent grant terminations and proposed reorganization of the National Science Foundation.

A NOTE TO OUR READERS

With Congress entering a District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause next week. Visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn for updates.

Tax Bill; Kennedy; NSF

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES HIGHER ED TAX CHANGES

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Committee on Ways and Means approved a bill that would change tax policies impacting colleges and students. Among other provisions, the bill would significantly increase the endowment excise tax for schools with endowments larger than $750,000 per domestic student; Boston University would not be subject to the tax. The measure would also expand the tax-free treatment of certain employer-provided education benefits and temporarily reinstate a charitable tax deduction for tax filers who do not itemize. Republican leaders plan to combine the Committee-passed bill with several other bills into a reconciliation package that the full U.S. House of Representatives may consider as early as next week.

Learn more

BUZZ BITS...

• Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testified about his agency's budget before House and Senate committees on Wednesday. Kennedy defended the Trump Administration's proposed budget cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services and reiterated his priorities to "focus narrowly on ending the chronic disease epidemic" and "make sure that science cannot be corrupted."
• On Friday, President Donald J. Trump nominated Dr. David Barker to be assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Barker is an economist who served on the Iowa Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities. As a regent, he focused on cost control measures and ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
• As the National Science Foundation (NSF) reportedly undergoes significant reorganization, more agency leaders have recently announced their departures. Chief Science Officer Karen Marrongnelle will leave NSF to join the University of Colorado, Denver. National Science Board member Alondra Nelson stepped down from the Board, which oversees the NSF.
• The House Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the Department of Defense's science enterprise last week. Representative Bill Keating (D-MA) highlighted the "integral" role universities play in conducting research and developing a scientific workforce critical to military success.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Dr. Alicia Knoedler, leader of Office of Integrative Activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), addressed the BU community during a webinar hosted by the Office of Research last month. Dr. Knoedler shared insights on building strong NSF partnerships, crafting compelling proposals, competing for NSF research infrastructure funds, and navigating the competitive grants process.

Read her presentation

Trump Budget Request; Antisemitism Hearing; NSF F&A

BU IN DC

WBUR CEO Margaret Low attended a meeting of the National Public Radio Board of Directors, of which she is a member, on May 2nd.

Kevin Outterson of CARB-X and the School of Law met with Congressional offices to discuss antimicrobial resistance on May 7th.

TRUMP "SKINNY BUDGET" PROPOSES CUTS TO STUDENT AID, RESEARCH

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) registered "serious objections" to the preliminary budget proposal released by President Donald J. Trump last week, as did many other key Members of Congress. The release of the President's "skinny budget" marked the start of the fiscal year 2026 budget process, paving the way for Congress to draft the annual spending bills that determine federal agency budgets. While the President is expected to release a more detailed set of budget proposals later this month, his early document requests:

• Student Aid: An 80% decrease in Federal Work Study funding and the elimination of the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, TRIO, and Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need programs.
• National Institutes of Health: A 40% decrease in funding.
• National Science Foundation: A 56% decrease in funding.
• Department of Energy Office of Science: A 14% decrease in funding.
• NASA Science: A 47% decrease in funding.
• National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities: Elimination.

Read the President's Budget Request

HOUSE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS

The House Committee on Education and Workforce held a hearing on Wednesday entitled "Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses." The presidents of Haverford College, DePaul University, and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo acknowledged mistakes they have made in handling campus protests and allegations of civil rights violations since October 2023. Committee Republicans asked for detailed information about the disciplinary measures imposed by the presidents and sharply criticized Haverford's president when she declined to provide specific numbers. Democrats decried the Trump Administration's staffing reductions at the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, saying it would impede investigations into campus antisemitism.

Watch the hearing

BUZZ BITS...

• On Monday, a coalition of universities filed a lawsuit challenging the National Science Foundation's (NSF) proposal to cap reimbursement for facilities & administrative (F&A) research costs incurred by universities at 15%. BU submitted a legal declaration in support of the lawsuit. The Trump Administration's earlier proposals to cap F&A reimbursements for research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy are currently on hold due to similar university lawsuits.
• NSF Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Greg Hager announced he will depart the agency today after serving for less than one year in the role. Hager will return to his faculty position at Johns Hopkins University. Division of Computer and Network Systems Director Ellen Zegura will serve as Acting Assistant Director for CISE.
• On Wednesday, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to examine the U.S. quantum industry. Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) highlighted the National Quantum Initiative Act and said the global quantum race is a "competition for 21st-century technological supremacy, with major implications for America's economic strength and national security." Babin described President Trump's proposal to cut science funding significantly as "an opening dialogue, not a final decision," reiterating that "Congress holds the power of the purse."
• Last week, three humanities organizations filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse staffing cuts, grant terminations, and program eliminations at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The suit alleges that the Trump Administration's refusal to spend the NEH funds appropriated by Congress violates the law.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Serving on a state board or commission can offer BU faculty a powerful opportunity to make an immediate and meaningful impact on state policy. On Tuesday, May 13, April English, Chief Secretary for Boards and Commissions in the Office of Governor Healey, will share insights into the application process and what it means to serve on a state board or commission. This virtual event -- cohosted by the Office of Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement at BU Wheelock, the BU School of Public Health, and the Center for Innovation in Social Science at the BU College of Arts & Sciences -- will also feature a panel of BU faculty members who bring firsthand experience in these roles on boards.

RSVP today