2/4/26: Partial Government Shutdown Ends (Inside Higher Ed) Four days after funding for the Education Department and other federal agencies ran out, the House of Representatives voted 217 to 214 on a package of budget bills to reopen the government. The previous shutdown lasted 43 days. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/02/04/house-passes-budget-bill-ending-government-shutdown
2/4/26: NIH rolls back red tape on some experiments — spurring excitement and concern (Nature) Many researchers are surprised and relieved over an unusual step taken by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH): the agency is rolling back the red tape on a host of basic-science experiments that involved human participants and had been classified as clinical trials . The decision, which was announced on 29 January and is part of a broader NIH effort to reduce administrative burden, should free such research from the heavy bureaucratic requirements that are designed for clinical trials but are sometimes ill-suited to other fields, such as basic psychology and behavioural studies. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00337-x
2/3/26: Now is not the time to defund human fetal tissue research (Nature, Editorial) Hindering studies involving fetal tissue will impede the development of the alternatives intended to replace it, while slowing the search for new medicines. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00308-2
2/3/26: Senate panel slams Trump’s NIH chief for grant cuts, vaccine views (Science) A Senate panel today came down hard on the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for cuts to clinical trials, grant-funding delays, and other chaos unleashed at his agency by President Donald Trump’s administration in the past year. Answering criticisms from both Republican and Democratic members of the panel, NIH Director Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya responded that the disruptions have been overblown and the agency is back on track. https://www.science.org/content/article/senate-panel-slams-trump-s-nih-chief-grant-cuts-vaccine-views
2/3/26: Dramatic reductions proposed for US science agencies by Trump administration evaporate (Chemistry World) Congress has thwarted devastating budget cuts to key US government research funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), that were proposed by the Trump administration. There has been much relief within the nation’s research community. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/dramatic-reductions-proposed-for-us-science-agencies-by-trump-administration-evaporate/4022868.article
2/3/26: Trump Demands Harvard Pay $1 Billion (Inside Higher Ed) President Donald Trump has demanded Harvard University pay the federal government $1 billion, escalating a high profile, almost year-long fight over alleged campus antisemitism. The demand, posted on Truth Social late Monday night, comes as Harvard is locked in negotiations with the Trump administration and landed just six hours after The New York Times reported that the federal government had backed off demands for a financial penalty. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2026/02/03/trump-demands-harvard-pay-1-billion
See also: Trump Escalates Harvard Fight—but the University’s Position Has Strengthened (Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/harvard-trump-garber-negotiations-deal-4938930f?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdQR2GpspD_3JferbVxSnjror9bUS_jz-FX9o-C6AqZUv_dfs4CrPt-Q8dYbWQ%3D&gaa_ts=698363ee&gaa_sig=DJ9ASfje_eJIAk3y5hmMiFaMme4O93_A_IJqCJWsezEKoLZNB2m4NkWXc6H_EYlrljbfhw4MID3wAGF4ltFm2w%3D%3D
2/3/26: U.S. innovation faces dire future under proposed Bayh-Dole gutting (Federal News Network) Research shows the Bayh‑Dole Act has fueled thousands of inventions, patents and startups, but disruptions like SBIR’s expiration and 8(a) turmoil are testing the system. Jere Glover and Joe Allen are here to explain how those shocks ripple into federal R&D, commercialization and long‑term competitiveness. Jere Glover serves as the executive director of the Small Business Technology Council. Joe Allen is executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/congress/2026/02/u-s-innovation-faces-dire-future-under-proposed-bayh-dole-gutting/
2/2/26: Lawmakers spend big on home state science projects (Science) Even as members of Congress finished work this week on austere 2026 budgets for several research agencies, legislators splurged on one type of spending: projects to benefit their constituents, known as earmarks, paid by federal agencies that never requested their funding be used that way. The total includes record-setting amounts for research projects at two Kentucky universities, thanks to the reigning king of congressional earmarks, Senator Mitch McConnell (R–KY). https://www.science.org/content/article/lawmakers-spend-big-home-state-science-projects
1/22/26: Policy Notice: Implementation of Policy Changes to Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 24-1, Supplement 2 (NSF) https://www.nsf.gov/policies/document/pappg24-1-supplement-2
