Policy News Headlines

Last updated April 25, 2025

Executive Branch
The Office of Personnel Management makes moves toward stripping many federal workers of civil service protections, while the Administration slashes funding for climate research and backs away from international and domestic climate initiatives.

Congress
Congressional Democrats protest recent Executive and agency actions, Republicans continue to make headway on the budget reconciliation process, and confirmation voting continues for Trump’s science nominees.

Federal Agencies
NSF’s Director steps down as scientific grant and program cancelations and layoffs continue across the federal workforce.

Scientific Community
Researchers pen an open letter expressing concern for U.S. science, and U.S. scientists consider ways to remain engaged with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Informational Resources
Trackers, government websites and other sources of information to help you stay informed, take action, and get help.

 

Executive Branch

April 25, 2025

• Trump executive order makes it easier for agencies to fire probationary employees — Government Executive

April 18, 2025

• OPM proposes rule to formally revive Schedule F — Government Executive

April 11, 2025

• White House outlines plan to gut NOAA, smother climate research — Politico

April 9, 2025

• Trump moves to hobble major US climate change study — Politico
• Trump Administration Cuts Research Funding, Claiming It Creates ‘Climate Anxiety’ — New York Times

March 28, 2025

• Trump to OSTP’s Kratsios: ‘Blaze a trail’ for science and tech supremacy — FedScoop

Congress

April 10, 2025

• A Champion of Oil Ends Her Bid to Lead the Bureau of Land Management — New York Times

April 7, 2025

• House launches deliberations on Energy, Army Corps spending — E&E News from Politico

April 3, 2025

• Democrats’ forum on NOAA cuts draws fiery comments — E&E News from Politico
• GOP rolls out new blueprint for energy, environment cuts — E&E News from Politico

Federal Agencies

April 24,  2025

• Trump-appointed National Science Foundation leader resigns — Politico

April 22,  2025

• In killing grants, NSF appears to follow Ted Cruz’s blueprint — Science
• National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards — New York Times
  • Read the statement from NSF’s Director here

April 21,  2025

• EPA orders staff to begin canceling research grants — Science

April 18,  2025

• Trump swings budget ax at USGS biology research — Science

April 17,  2025

• Exclusive: Trump team freezes new NSF awards — and could soon axe hundreds of grants — Nature

April 16,  2025

• NSF scraps most outside advisory panels — Science
• NSF halts grant awards while staff do second review — Science
• By Redefining ‘Harm,’ Agencies Aim to End Longstanding Wildlife Protections — New York Times
  • Read the Federal Register notices here and here

• Judge Blocks DOE Move to Cut Indirect Cost Rate — FYI from AIP

April 15,  2025

• ‘Handcuffed’: NSF travel freeze threatens to drive out talent — E&E News from Politico

April 14,  2025

• Interior grounds some migratory bird protections — E&E News from Politico
• Green groups sue Trump agencies over removal of climate data — E&E News from Politico

April 12,  2025

• EPA Cancels Key Science Advisory Board Meeting — Inside Climate News

April 11,  2025

• NOAA Scientists Are Cleaning Bathrooms and Reconsidering Lab Experiments After Contracts for Basic Services Expire — ProPublica
• Energy Department cuts university overhead rates to 15% on research grants — Science

April 9,  2025

• After April Fools’ Day purge, U.S. health agencies spiral into chaos — Science
• NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It’s throwing the agency into chaos — NPR

April 8,  2025

• NSF slashes graduate fellowship program — Science
  Supreme Court Pauses Ruling Requiring Rehiring of 16,000 Probationary Workers — New York Times
• Where’s EPA’s greenhouse gas inventory? — E&E News from Politico
• NOAA Reverses Plan to Defer Upkeep of Key Weather Satellites — Scientific American

April 7,  2025

• Universities win (for now) on indirect costs — Politico
• Economic realities cut into Trump timber plans — E&E News from Politico

Scientific Community

April 4,  2025

• International PhD students make emergency plans in fear of US immigration raids — Nature

April 1,  2025

• Over 1,900 researchers describe ‘assault’ on science by White House: ‘We see real danger’ — ABC News

March 27,  2025

• 75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving — Nature

March 20,  2025

• New US Academic Alliance for the IPCC opens critical nomination access — AGU press release

March 15,  2025

• Some US Scientists Stick with the IPCC Despite the Administration Pulling Out of International Climate Work — Inside Climate News

March 13,  2025

• About a third of bird species in U.S. need conservation help, new report says — CBS News

Informational Resources

Information

• List of Federal Staff Firings (from Government Executive)
• NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders
• Latest Memos from the Office of Personnel Management
• Akin Executive Order Tracker
• Just Security’s Litigation Tracker
• American Institute of Physics’ FYI Science Policy News & Analysis
• Timeline of Administration Actions (from Research!America)
• EJToday Daily Digest of Environment/Energy News
• UC San Diego Library’s U.S. Government Information: Weekly Roundup

Take Action

• ESA Action Alert
• ESA Policy Toolkit
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s (FASEB) Science Policy & Advocacy Resources
• Watch a recording of ESA’s “Communicating with Congress” webinar
• Share your story with ESA of how recent events are impacting you
• Respond to the survey for fired federal employees from the House Science Committee’s Democratic Staff
• Get in touch with the American Institute of Physics’ FYI science policy news team about layoffs at federal science agencies
• Get in touch with Nature’s News team to share your story
• Share how funding cuts are affecting your research with the New York Times’ Opinion section (scroll to the questionnaire at the end of this essay)
• Tipline for feds experiencing political interference in science (from HEATED & SciLight)
• Learn more about a multi-organization effort to share scientists’ stories on recent policy impacts

Get Help

• Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) resources
• Environmental Protection Network’s resources for grantees
• Environmental Protection Network’s resources for federal employees
• Civil Service Strong
• Alden Law Group’s archive of Executive Orders & OPM statements regarding federal workers
• These groups may be working on Class Action Lawsuits for fired federal employees (ESA does not verify or endorse these groups and is sharing for informational purposes only): Alden Law Group, Democracy Forward

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This page is produced by the Public Affairs Office of the Ecological Society of America. ESA’s policy activities work to infuse ecological knowledge into national policy decisions through activities such as policy statements, Capitol Hill briefings, Congressional Visits Days and coalition involvement.

Send questions or comments to Alison Mize, Director of Public Affairs, or Mayda Nathan, Public Affairs Manager.

Visit the ESA website to learn more about our activities and membership.