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Category: Administration

NSF Acting Director Announces Plans to Leave the Agency

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National Science Foundation Acting Director Brian Stone and Acting Chief of Staff Rebecca Keiser will leave the NSF, according to an internal agency staff memo that was released today. Stone plans to leave at the end of the year and Keiser at the end of the month. The last time the NSF had a Senate-confirmed director was April 2025, before Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned as grant terminations expanded in the first few months of the Trump administration. Since then, Acting Director Stone has guided the agency through a tumultuous period with thousands of grant terminations, firing of the National Science Board, and OMB changes.

President Trump’s nomination of Jim O’Neill to be the next director has been stalled since March. Without a Senate-confirmed director, many have argued that the NSF has been directly managed by the White House and OMB.

White House announces $6 billion in new initiatives at Golden Age of Science Summit

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Last week, the White House hosted a “New Golden Age Summit” convening scientists and tech leaders to discuss OSTP’s new report. Multiple initiatives were announced at the summit, including:

  • DOE announced twelve Phase II Genesis Mission project awards totaling $159 million, including one awarded to the University of Washington
  • Eleven companies pledged $2.4 billion to support DOE’s Genesis Mission, including $1 billion from Nvidia, $500 million from AMD, and $200 million from OpenAI
  • DOE announced a $100 million Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship program for accelerated four-year PhDs in AI and science or engineering
  • NSF also announced a six-year integrated bachelor’s-to-PhD program called NextGen Workforce and launched two $33 million Grand Research Challenge competitions
  • NIH, DOE, and Biohub launched a $1.8 billion virtual biology initiative to develop AI models of cells and biological systems
  • NASA and DOE announced expanded cooperation on nuclear technologies, DOE identified eight scientific problems for quantum priority applications, and DOW announced $350 million in quantum computing initiatives

Appropriators Push Back on Pocket Rescission

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Late Friday, the Trump administration announced plans to cancel $810 million in funds for health and education programs, only days before the new fiscal year begins on Thursday. This “pocket rescission” is a maneuver used shortly before the end of the fiscal year, which attempts to take back money that has already been appropriated by Congress. The same tactic was used last year by the administration to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funds. The Government Accountability Office has called pocket rescissions illegal.

Top appropriators from both parties have accused OMB of acting illegally by intentionally withholding funds for months. In a statement, Chair of Senate Appropriations Committee Susan Collins said “any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law. I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”

 

On the Hill this week:

  • The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668) at 5:30pm today, which will set new rules for name, image, and likeness issues. It is expected to pass with wide bipartisan support.
  • Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions pending nominations on September 30, including Nicole Saphier to be surgeon general, Timothy Westlake to be assistant HHS secretary for mental health and substance use, and Mary Lazare to be assistant HHS secretary for aging

Updates from the Hill

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House Members have returned to their districts for a full six weeks of campaigning ahead of the midterm elections, but plenty of activity continues in the Senate and executive branch.

  • President Trump banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW reporters from the White House over the weekend. All three news outlets have announced they plan to file a lawsuit today.
  • Judge Postpones Effective Date of Rule Limiting International Student Visas: Last week, Judge F. Dennis Saylor of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction postponing DHS from implementing their final rule ending the “duration of status” framework for F, J, and I visa holders.
  • White House Moves to Take Control of NIH Grants: In a White House meeting Friday, an executive order was discussed with plans to create a new external committee with the power to veto NIH awards. It’s the latest in reported clashes between OMB Director Russell Vought and NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya over funding projects that conflict with administration priorities.

    • In a statement, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Appropriations Committee said: “The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should not be involved in agency decisions on the awards of grants. As I stated in my July 6 letter, a proposed OMB rule would politicize grantmaking. The Continuing Resolution — which passed the Senate, House, and was signed into law on September 2 – blocks OMB’s proposed rule or any substantially similar one. Any attempt to politicize grantmaking at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or any other agency, by another means—whether an Executive Order or guidance—is contrary to congressional intent. Imposing a political review on awards that have already been selected through a rigorous scientific and merit-based process undermines the long-standing principle that the government funds awards based on scientific need and merit, rather than political ideology.”

In the Senate this week:

  • A final vote for the Protect College Sports Act could come as soon as this week. On September 17, the Senate voted 77-22 to move the bill forward to debate and final vote. It could be the last item Congress votes on before midterms, raising concerns for some Republicans who say they should be focusing on issues of affordability, the war in Iran, and other issues which are top of mind for voters.
  • Nomination Hearing (Thurs. Sept. 24): Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for Dr. Heidi Overton to be FDA Commissioner

 

Senate Confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC Director

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency’s first full-time leader in nearly a year. The 51-44 vote fell along party lines, with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) as the only Democrat to vote in her favor. Dr. Schwartz was a deputy surgeon general in Trump’s first administration and is Trump’s third nominee for CDC director in two years. She takes the lead at an agency that has faced a wave of challenges since Health Secretary Kennedy took office, including losing about a third of its staff to layoffs and resignations, the firing of former director Susan Monarez after clashes over vaccine policy, and dealing with several high-profile outbreaks.

Dr. Schwartz has expressed strong support for Kennedy’s “Make Health Healthy Again” agenda. She has publicly supported vaccines but dodged specific questions during her confirmation hearing about potential political interference from Kennedy.