6/24/25: Group of 21 States Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Funding Cuts (Wall Street Journal) The attorneys general from Democratic-led states, including New York, New Jersey and Illinois, said the Trump administration is using an obscure clause in regulations issued by the White House to justify the arbitrary termination of grants it doesn’t want to award, according to the lawsuit filed in federal district court in Massachusetts Tuesday. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/group-of-21-states-sues-trump-administration-over-federal-funding-cuts-bc7d2ad1
6/24/25: Behind Closed Doors, Harvard Officials Debate a Risky Truce With Trump (NY Times) Harvard University, battered by a devastating conflict with the Trump administration that has jeopardized its elite standing, is facing a problem as it weighs a possible truce with President Trump: how to strike a deal without compromising its values or appearing to have capitulated. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/harvard-debate-settlement-trump.html
See also: With stakes high, White House pushes negotiations with Harvard (Washington Post) https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/06/24/with-stakes-high-white-house-pushes-negotiations-with-harvard/
See also: Here Is All the Science at Risk in Trump’s Clash With Harvard (New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/22/upshot/harvard-funding-cuts.html
See also: Blue states launch latest legal challenge to Trump funding cuts (E&E News Politico) https://www.eenews.net/articles/blue-states-launch-latest-legal-challenge-to-trump-funding-cuts-2/
6/24/25: Sound policy demands sound science (Science, Editorial, Michael Kratsios, Director, OSTP) The loudest voices in this ongoing conversation may never be convinced, but rather than dismiss Gold Standard Science, the scientific community has the opportunity to take this government-led effort at self-reform and review how it too can support the highest standards of scientific integrity. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz9562
6/24/25: Sluggishness and defensiveness helped enable an executive order on research integrity (Science, Editorial, H. Holden Thorp) Although science is driven by data, politics and public opinion are shaped by anecdotes and storytelling. Thus, pointing out that many of these incidents are the result of a small number of actors does nothing to change the political narrative. The sluggishness of journals and institutions to respond to problems in research integrity is also fodder for criticism. But more important, the defensiveness of investigators and institutions in responding to problems severely heightens the suspicion. Rather than filing lawsuits and hiding behind carefully crafted statements, the scientific community should be engaging in a conversation about problems and potential solutions. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz9553
See also: OSTP Memo: Agency Guidance for Implementing Gold Standard Science in the Conduct & Management of Scientific Activities: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/OSTP-Guidance-for-GSS-June-2025.pdf
6/24/25: Judge strikes down National Science Foundation’s 15% funding cap for research overhead (Higher Ed Dive) U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled the policy is arbitrary and capricious and doesn’t align with federal law or regulations. https://www.highereddive.com/news/nsf-indirect-costs-cap-struck-down/751533/
6/24/25: House Democrats slam RFK Jr. for research funding cuts, vaccine policy (The Chronicle) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today faced yet another grilling from Democratic members of Congress concerned about his slashing of staff at the agencies his department oversees and cuts and delays to biomedical research. The attorney brushed off questions about the impact of the cuts and declared ignorance of a letter of protest signed by more than 300 staffers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the HHS agencies recently thrown into turmoil by firings and other actions. https://www.science.org/content/article/house-democrats-slam-rfk-jr-research-funding-cuts-vaccine-policy
6/24/25: In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost (Nature, Editorial) More scientific leaders need to speak out about anti-science agendas and threats to academic freedom across the world. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01966-4
6/23/25: A judge just took Trump to task for his attack on science (The Hill) From the bench, he told the government’s lawyers that “over the course of his career he had ‘never seen government racial discrimination like this,’” and that he “felt duty bound to state his conclusion about the government’s intent. ‘I would be blind not to call it out.’” https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/5361192-a-judge-just-took-trump-to-task-for-his-attack-on-science/
6/21/25: Trump administration’s National Science Foundation research funding cuts blocked by judge (CBS News) U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-national-science-foundation-research-funding-cuts-blocked-judge/
6/20/25: Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Continues (National Law Review) Last week, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) released three new proposed deviations in their overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). They include:
- FAR Part 18 – Emergency Acquisitions;
- FAR Part 39 – Acquisition of Information and Communication Technology; and
- FAR Part 43 – Contract Modifications
FAR Part 52, which contains the clauses inserted into contracts, was also modified for the newly overhauled parts. The changes to these sections continue the theme of removing clauses or paragraphs of the FAR not required by law and either deleting them or instead including them in guidance. https://natlawreview.com/article/federal-acquisition-regulation-overhaul-continues
See also: Navigating the FAR Part 52 Overhaul: What Government Contractors Need to Know (FedBizAccess) https://fedbizaccess.com/navigating-the-far-part-52-overhaul-what-government-contractors-need-to-know/
6/18/25: In Defense of “Silly” Science: Basic Research and the Value of Curiousity (The Chronicle) Perhaps my research was useless, but I recognize now that it was not worthless. Still on that day, over enchiladas, I failed to articulate the essence and significance of “silly science.” Now, under the Trump administration, we are seeing unprecedented cuts to federal funding of research. Scientists like me no longer have the luxury of botching these conversations with the taxpaying public. So let me explain myself. https://www.chronicle.com/article/in-defense-of-silly-science
