News

TRIO; NSF and NASA; Graduate Student Loans

BU IN DC

President Melissa Gilliam attended the Association of American Universities Spring Meeting from April 26 to April 29th.

School of Public Health Dean Adnan Hyder hosted a panel discussion on "The Future of Public Health in the United States" on April 29th, followed by an alumni reception. Erica Augustine, Jackie Bowes, and Luciano Ramos joined him.

Jack Beermann of the School of Law and students from his Supreme Court Decisionmaking course attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court on April 20th.

LAWMAKERS QUESTION EDUCATION SECRETARY ABOUT TRIO, CIVIL RIGHTS

On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Trump Administration's budget request. Senators from both sides of the aisle questioned the Administration's proposed cuts to the TRIO college preparatory programs and criticized the Department's plan to shift the focus of the program away from college preparation to workforce training. Democrats questioned the Secretary about the reduction in staff at the Office of Civil Rights and the absence of civil rights enforcement related to sexual and racial harassment. McMahon said the Department is rehiring previously fired lawyers to resolve civil rights cases.

Watch the hearing

HOUSE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS NSF, NASA CUTS

The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2027 spending bill on Thursday that would reduce funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) by 20% and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate by 17.2%. Earlier this year, the President’s Budget Request proposed a 54% cut to NSF and 46% cut to NASA Science. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to release its version of the science spending bill this summer; last year, the Senate recommended more robust NSF and NASA funding than both the House and the President.

Read the bill

BUZZ BITS...

• President Donald J. Trump reportedly dismissed the members of the National Science Board on Friday. The Board oversees the operations of the National Science Foundation; its members serve staggered six-year terms and one-third of them are replaced every two years. The White House has not announced plans to replenish the Board, an entity required by law.
• On Thursday, the Department of Education issued a final rule eliminating Graduate PLUS loans. Under the new rule, graduate students in 11 fields of study designated as "professional" will be limited to $50,000 in loans annually. Academic programs impacted by the loan limits are expected to file a lawsuit seeking to block the new rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1st.
• The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled "Speech or Silence? The Future of the First Amendment in Higher Education" on Wednesday. Republicans on the Subcommittee shared reports of students self-censoring their views in the classroom, while Subcommittee Democrats drew attention to the Trump Administration’s conditioning of federal funding upon grantees' alignment with the Administration’s ideologies.

A Note To Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. In the meantime, be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.

Budget Hearings; SBIR; Foundation Funding

BU IN DC

Yannis Paschalidis, Darren Roblyer, Shannon Stott, and Joyce Wong of the College of Engineering and Laisheng Chou from the Goldman School of Dental Medicine participated in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Annual Event from April 11th to 13th.

Lawrence Were of Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences spoke at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health 17th Annual Conference on April 12th.

Kevin Gallagher and members of the Global Development Policy Center engaged with policymakers in conjunction with the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group between April 13th and 18th.

Jessica Simes of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) addressed a Congressional briefing about housing rights on April 17th.

Doctoral students Ben Krewson and Leeza Moldavchuk of CAS, Erin Cullinane of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Molly Hoffman of the School of Public Health attended the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop and discussed science policy with Congressional offices between April 12th and 15th. 

LAWMAKERS QUESTION TRUMP OFFICIALS ON PROPOSED RESEARCH CUTS

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized the Trump Administration's proposed cuts to scientific research as members of the President's Cabinet testified before Congress this week about the President's Budget Request for fiscal year 2027.

• In appearances before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. faced questions about the Administration's proposal to cut the National Institutes of Health budget by 12% and the decline in grant awards devoted to women's health. Kennedy asserted that the Administration was eliminating wasteful grants, but Members of Congress repeatedly voiced objections to the proposed cuts.
• House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) told National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jared Isaacman, "I simply do not believe that this budget proposal is capable of supporting what President Trump himself has directed [NASA] to accomplish over the course of his two terms, nor what Congress... has directed by law."
• Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright discussed a "nuclear power renaissance" and the importance of the agency's Genesis Mission in an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) emphasized the importance of investing in basic science and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) expressed concerns about proposed cuts to the Office of Science and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy.

BUZZ BITS...

• President Donald J. Trump signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act into law on April 13th, reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research and the Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
• On Wednesday, William English was appointed the acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). English is a business professor at Georgetown University. President Trump nominated Michael McDonald to serve as the permanent NEH Chairman in February; he is awaiting Senate confirmation.
• The Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on "The State of Scientific Publishing: Assessing Trends, Emerging Issues, and Policy Considerations" on April 15th. Lawmakers and witnesses discussed scientific integrity, paper mills, publishing fees, and open access to scientific research funded by the federal government.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Join Foundation Relations and the Office of Research for "Meet the Funded: Building Authentic Relationships with Foundations" on April 27th at 12 p.m. This virtual webinar will outline ways faculty can identify relevant program officers, reach out for meetings, prepare for conversations, and develop meaningful partnerships with foundations. The session will provide an overview of BU resources to support faculty engagement with foundations, and will feature a panel discussion with principal investigators who have successful multi-year partnerships with foundations, including: Barr, ClimateWorks, Ford, Hewlett, Open Society, Walmart, Bob Woodruff, and many others.

Reserve your space

President’s Budget; NIJ; Geospatial Symposium

BU IN DC

Molly Heald (SSW'26) of the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health attended the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy's Social Work Day on the Hill and Student Advocacy Day on March 25th and 26th.

TRUMP'S PROPOSED BUDGET SUPPORTS PELL GRANTS, CUTS RESEARCH FUNDING

On Friday, the White House released the President's Budget Request to Congress for fiscal year 2027. For the second consecutive year, President Donald J. Trump is recommending reductions in funding for scientific research and student aid, despite lawmakers rejecting similar cuts last year. The Request asks Congress to make these funding changes:

• National Institutes of Health: 12% cut and the elimination of the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities, the Fogarty International Center, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
• National Science Foundation: 54% cut and the elimination of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate.
• Pell Grant: Maintain the maximum Pell Grant award at $7,395.
• Federal Work-Study: 90% cut.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Science Mission Directorate: 46% cut.
• Department of Energy: 15% cut.
• Institute of Education Sciences: 67% cut.
• National Endowments for the Humanities and Arts: Closing the agencies.

Congress will respond to the President's Budget Request with its own spending bills this summer.

Read the budget proposal

GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) released three funding opportunities, the first solicitations posted by the office since January 2025. The agency requests proposals related to Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women; Research on the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults; and the Graduate Research Fellowship. Letters of intent are encouraged for some of the opportunities, and all have May deadlines. More NIJ funding notices are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Submit a proposal

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Join BU colleagues at the University's first Geospatial Data & Technologies Symposium on April 22nd between 12 and 4 p.m. at the Wightman Mansion at 43 Hawes Street. This event is for anyone at BU who uses geospatial data and technologies in their work or is interested in learning more about how geospatial data and technology are applied at BU. Panel discussions, poster sessions, presentations, and discussion groups will facilitate the exchange of ideas about geospatial use at BU and create a community of practice in this space.

RSVP now

A Note To Our Readers:Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication and resume later this month. Be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.

Campus Espionage; PCAST; DARPA Biological Technologies

BU IN DC

Maxwell Palmer and Thomas Larsen ('26) of the College of Arts & Sciences discussed the importance of federal investment in social science research with Congressional offices as part of the Consortium of Social Science Associations 2026 Advocacy Day on March 24th.

Catherine Fazio of the Questrom School of Business spoke at the Mpact Conference on Understanding Regional Opportunities and Partnerships to Drive American Competitiveness on March 25th. Kathleen Shannon of the College of Arts & Sciences attended the conference.

Danielle Mulligan of the Initiative on Cities attended the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy's Federal Policy Retreat between March 22nd and March 25th.

HOUSE COMMITTEE PRESSES ON RESEARCH SECURITY CONCERNS

The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on Thursday titled "U.S. Universities Under Siege: Foreign Espionage, Stolen Innovation, and the National Security Threat." Witnesses from the University of Michigan and University of Florida detailed their policies to promote research security, and a Stanford University student described her experience being "personally targeted by a suspected agent of the Chinese Communist Party while conducting research." Committee Republicans advocated for the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, which would add to the existing foreign gift disclosures required of colleges. Democrats warned against discrimination based on country of origin and called attention to the impact of Department of Education staffing reductions on student loan servicing and civil rights oversight.

Watch the hearing

BUZZ BITS...

• On Thursday, President Donald J. Trump announced his appointees to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The appointees include Michael Dell of Dell Technologies, Larry Ellison and Safra Catz of Oracle, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and John Martinis of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The body is cochaired by White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jared Isaacman announced several National Space Policy initiatives on Tuesday, including building a base on the moon, maintaining American presence in low Earth orbit, and reaffirming existing and planned science missions. Along with the announcement, NASA will seek feedback from commercial and academic partners on its space science plans.
• The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on Thursday titled "Don't Fumble Their Future: Positioning Student-Athletes for Success in School and Beyond." Witnesses representing colleges and student athletes expressed concerns about the current model of college athletics, but disagreed on issues such as athlete compensation and Name, Image, and Likeness rights.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

A recording is now available from the “DARPA Biological Technologies Office: Insights from Director Michael Koeris” webinar hosted by the Office of Research and Federal Relations earlier this month. Dr. Koeris provided an overview of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), its research priorities in the Biological Technologies Office, and best practices for sharing research ideas with DARPA program managers. The BU Federal Relations team is available to work with investigators who would like to discuss strategies for partnering with DARPA.

Watch the webinar

A Note To Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. Be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn