Policy & Advocacy

How long this shutdown will last depends on reaching a bipartisan agreement on the continuing resolution, since it will take more time to sign the FY 2026 spending bills into law.

FASEB, of which GSA is a member, issued a statement encouraging Congress and the president to reach an immediate agreement to end the government shutdown and pass a short-term continuing resolution to temporarily fund federal agencies while negotiations continue on the unfinished FY 2026 appropriations bills.

The Trump administration rescinded a grant that maintained FlyBase, a pillar of global basic research, as part of its broader $2.2 billion funding cuts at Harvard.

FASEB, of which GSA is a member, highlighted the risks associated with capping or eliminating the ability for researchers to utilize NIH grant funds to publish their work in reputable, peer-reviewed journals.

The report highlights 53 options for streamlining regulatory oversight, covering topics ranging from development of grant proposals and award management and tracking financial conflicts of interest to oversight of research involving human and nonhuman animal subjects.

NIH is launching its Biosafety Modernization Initiative – a comprehensive effort to modernize and strengthen biosafety policies, practices, and oversight to keep pace with the evolving risks posed by today’s rapidly advancing science and technology.

The NIH released its implementation strategy in response to Executive Order on "Restoring Gold Standard Science."

The rally will call on US policymakers to make funding for NIH a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research that leads to more lives saved.

The next Advocacy Town Hall meeting is on Tuesday, September 2 at 12:00 EST. John Martens from Federal Science Partners will provide an overview of Congress’ fall agenda and what to expect.

The E.O. serves as a new mechanism by which the administration is attempting to codify its policies currently facing legal challenges, including withholding grant payments to entire institutions, altering indirect cost rates, and terminating existing grant awards for “no longer effectuating agency priorities,” many of which the courts have already deemed as unlawful.

The EO is the latest attempt to subvert existing agency peer review processes while increasing executive influence in determining whether projects are funded or terminated.