The Trump administration has blocked funding for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), the agency’s main science division.
science policy
Posted inResearch & Developments
NSF Plans to Abolish Divisions
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) plans to abolish dozens of divisions across all eight of its directorates and reduce the number of programs within those divisions, according to Science.
A spokesperson for NSF told Science that the reason behind the decision was to “reduce the number of SES [senior executive service] positions in the agency and create new non-executive positions to better align with the needs of the agency.”
Posted inOpinions
Senior Scientists Must Stand Up Against Attacks on Research and Education
They can use their position and collective power to influence institutional actions and mobilize to support more vulnerable colleagues.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NOAA Halts Maintenance of Key Arctic Data at National Snow and Ice Data Center
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) may no longer actively maintain or update some of its snow and ice data products after losing support from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, according to a 6 May announcement.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NIH Bans U.S. Scientists From Funding New International Partnerships
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, announced a policy on 1 May banning scientists from directing its funding to international research partners, according to Nature.
Posted inResearch & Developments
New U.S. Budget Proposal Slashes Billions in Funds for Science
President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget, released today, slashes non-defense discretionary spending by $163 billion, a 22.6% reduction from 2025.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NSF Stops New and Existing Grants
The National Science Foundation (NSF), one of the world’s leading funders of basic research, will “stop awarding all funding actions,” including awarding new grants and disbursing funds for existing grants, according to Nature.
Staff at NSF were told of the policy change in a 30 April email. The email did not give a reason for the funding freeze and did not say whether or when the agency would resume awarding funding.
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA to Cancel Nearly 800 Environmental Justice Grants
The EPA plans to cancel 781 grants, almost all focused on environmental justice, according to a court document filed last week.
In Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council v. Department of Agriculture, a coalition of nonprofits is challenging the Trump administration’s freezing of funding from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In the recent court document, Daniel Coogan, an administrator in the Office of Mission Support for the EPA, stated that the agency completed a grant-by-grant review of its awards to ensure that grants aligned with administration priorities. Those that were not aligned were targeted for termination.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Mexico Will Give U.S. More Water to Avert More Tariffs
Mexican and U.S. officials announced that Mexico will immediately transfer some of its water reserves to the United States and also allow a larger share of the Rio Grande River to flow into the United States.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Trump Moves to Allow Seabed Mining in International Waters
A new executive order aims to establish the United States “as a global leader in seabed mineral exploration and development both within and beyond national jurisdiction.”