The University of Washington has published our 2021 Federal Agenda outlining our top priorities for the coming year. Our agenda reflects a commitment to service, excellence, and innovation, taking into account the unique challenges of the past year.
We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the federal government and look forward to further collaboration in 2021.
President Biden has repealed a Trump-administration Executive Order 13950 requiring all new and amended federal government contracts to include language prohibiting the contractor from implementing any workplace training that endorsed what the Order deemed “divisive concepts,” including that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is prone to behaviors that are inherently racist or sexist.
Biden’s Executive Order repeals the Trump order in its entirety and affirms it is the policy of the federal government to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”
More details here.
Earlier today, the Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense by a vote of 93 -2. The retired four-star general becomes the first African American to assume that position.
Before he could be confirmed, both chambers of Congress had to grant him a waiver to serve in that position. The waiver was needed as military personnel need to be out of uniform for seven years before serving as the Secretary. The Senate approved the waiver 69 – 27 while the House preceded it by a vote of 326 – 78.
The National Science and Technology Council Joint Committee on the Research Environment, Subcommittee on Research Security released its final report Recommended Practices for Strengthening the Security and Integrity of America’s Science and Technology Research Enterprise. The report is developed by the Subcommittee, in coordination with the National Security Council, and aims to protect US research integrity and the R&D enterprise.
The document outlines several recommended practices for research organizations based on the following high-level objectives:
Demonstrate organizational leadership and oversight;
Establish an expectation of openness and transparency;
Provide and share training, support, and information;
Ensure effective mechanisms for compliance with organizational policies; and
Manage potential risks associated with collaborations and data.
The full report is available here. In addition, the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 33, available here, outlining guidance for agencies to implement best practices. A fact sheet on the memo is available here.
With the swearing-in of the new Biden Administration scheduled for tomorrow, the first set of confirmation hearings for several key posts within the Administration are set to start today. These include:
Read more about the nominees and the confirmation process here, here, and here.