Scientific policy this week: February 24, 2025

Agencies are preparing for more layoffs

After the first cycle of dismissals in scientific agencies last week, the cuts could soon extend to additional agencies and improve the agencies affected in the first round. Layoffs could include up to 500
Employees of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, according to Axios and Bloomberg. He was also invited to the National Institutes of Health Back to the 2019 levels,
According to Science, representing a reduction of 10% compared to the levels of 2024 and to come in the heels of the Ali with initial bases
Last week. In addition, the Ministry of Defense said
He expects to dismiss around 5,400 probation workers from this week and finally reduce his civil workforce by 5 to 8%. In some cases, dreaded mass dismissals have not yet been materialized, NASA receiving a Last minute stay.
Some Republicans of the Congress would have raise concerns
in private on the scale of layoffs. Meanwhile, the Democrats of the Chamber Science Committee launched a form
To collect information from recently dismissed federal employees.

Adding to the turmoil, the staff management office e-mail
Federal employees during the weekend asked “5 balls of what you accomplished last week” at the end of Monday, with Elon Musk Adding X
This “lack of response will be considered a resignation”. The result was widespread on SI and how to react. NSF and national oceanic and atmospheric administration Sent from subsequent emails
To employees telling them not to answer, while the managers of a management of NASA told employees to respond, but then reversed the investigation, asking employees to prepare their balls but not to submit before receive other advice. NASA has Since said
He will answer “on behalf of the agency’s workforce”. The OPM email has already was added
to a trial brought by federal workers.

NSF illegally reclassified employees and probation, says the legislator

The National Science Foundation was criticized to manage the directives of the Trump administration to reduce its workforce, such as its reclassification of the statutes of certain employees of the permanent to the probationary year before the mass dismissals of last week of employees probative. After the personnel management office published a directive on January 20 claiming that the exceptional service employees must serve two -year probationary periods, the reclassification employees reclassify the NSF despite the NSF contracts specifying that the probationary period n ‘ was only one year old, according to a letter
Sent to NSF last week by representative Don Beyer (D-VA). “I ask that the NSF reintegrates its employees who have been dismissed and rectify the illegal reclassification of permanent employees,” wrote Beyer, whose district includes the agency’s headquarters.

An NSF spokesman said the agency dropped 170 people last Tuesday, representing around 10% of its workforce. Of the total, 86 were probations and 84 were classified as experts, who have part -time contracts lasting one year or less and are often hired for specific matters. Democratic leaders of the Chamber Committee of Sciences also criticized layoffs last week, declaring
They are “extremely disappointed with the leadership of the NSF”. They also called the director of the NSF, Sethuraman Panchanathan, to reverse the layoffs. Panchanathan was chosen to be director by President Donald Trump in 2020 for a term of up to six years.

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Senate to consider the appointment of the Director of the OSTP

The Senate Commerce Committee meet
Tuesday to consider the appointment of Michael Kratsios
Be Director of the Board of the White House Sciences and Technological Policy. During the first Trump administration, Kratsios was the Director of OSTP technology and later became the actor of the R&D branch of the Ministry of Defense. The Kratsios previously worked for venture capital Peter Thiel and was part of Trump’s transition team. In addition to the role of the OSTP, Trump chose Kratsios to serve as a president’s assistant for science and technology, a position that does not require the approval of the Senate.

The judge extends the prescription blocking indirect cost reductions in the NIH

A temporary ban prescription preventing NIH from imposing its 15% ceiling on indirect cost payments was extended
Last week by a Federal Massachusetts court. Judge Angel Kelley maintained the break while waiting for a final decision on the opportunity to issue an injunction on the proposed change. Education organizations, research universities and 22 states heard
Nih earlier this month after the agency announcement
It would considerably reduce the indirect cost payments it would make to institutions, also called administrative installations and costs (F&A). Trump administration has also tried to reduce indirect cost payments 2017
But was blocked by the congress.

American scientific leaders present politics ideas to the Trump administration

The vision of American science and technology (vast) working group
This week will publish a report that offers actions to guarantee that the American science and technology company “remains the avant-garde on an increasingly competitive world scene”. Vast Task Force Flesh and CEO of AAAS, Sudip Parikh, will discuss the report in an axios event
Tuesday morning focused on American efforts to maintain scientific and technological leadership. Brian Babin (R-TX), the member of the Chamber Science Committee, Brian Babin (R-TX), the member of the Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) classification, and Yacine Jernite, head of automatic learning and The company in Hugging Face has an AI company. The large working group also holds a Capitol hill reception
Tuesday evening to mark the release of the report.

Also on our radar

• The Small Business Committee in the Chamber will hold a audience
  Wednesday on research transfer programs on small businesses and technologies of small businesses, which funds
  Marketing of research and technology in small businesses. This program was the last extended
  in 2022 and should expire in September 2025.
• The Chamber’s Science Committee will hold a audience
  On Wednesday on the NASA Artemis program to make humans on the moon as well as plans to explore Mars.
• The Senatoric Banking Committee will hold a audience
  Thursday to consider the appointment of Jeffrey Kessler to direct the Office of Industry and Security, which is responsible for the implementation of export controls.
• President Trump finished
  Five consultative federal committees last week and ordered the White House staff to recommend additional committees to end. In his first mandate,
  Trump ordered federal agencies to eliminate “at least a third” of external advice committees, but ultimately did not reach this target.
• A National Academies Committee studying the potential to expand commercial use of electron beam technologies will hold its first meeting
  THURSDAY.