Washington Week in Science August 29, 2025

 

A Weekly Update of Policy News and Select Funding Opportunities Compiled by Van Scoyoc Associates View this email in your browser August 29, 2025

Health   Fired CDC Director clashed with Kennedy on vaccine policy CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired on Wednesday after resisting changes to vaccine policy that were advanced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, a close associate said on Thursday. The revelation and interviews with top officials who resigned in the wake of the director's firing underscored the growing division over the U.S. approach to public health and the upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which protects U.S. health and has played a global role in eradicating smallpox, reducing polio, and controlling HIV/AIDS. Read more:  Reuters   Top RFK Jr. deputy Jim O'Neill named acting CDC director after previous head fired The White House named Jim O'Neill, a top deputy of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after firing Susan Monarez the day before. O'Neill, who was the deputy HHS secretary, will replace Monarez on an interim basis, a Trump administration official confirmed on Aug. 28 to USA TODAY, after Monarez was fired following a dispute with Kennedy over vaccination policy. In his current role, O'Neill oversees all operations in the sprawling HHS department. Read more:  USA Today   CDC leaders who resigned said RFK Jr. undermined vaccine science, risking lives As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reeled from the ousting of its director, three senior leaders who resigned in protest told The Washington Post they were asked to participate in an unscientific vaccine recommendation process that they believe could harm the health of Americans. The officials spoke shortly before security officials escorted them off the CDC’s Atlanta campus Thursday morning. Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned as the agency’s top respiratory illness and immunization official, said the CDC had reached an “unfettered situation where undue influence and ideology would drive the science.” Read more:  Washington Post   RFK Jr. will testify before Senate panel next week Senators will soon get a chance to question Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about Wednesday’s sudden shakeup at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy will testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4, two people granted anonymity to describe the plans first told POLITICO Thursday. Read more:  Politico   FDA issues narrower approvals for Covid boosters, revokes emergency authorizations The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated Covid boosters, but removed emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, in a set of moves that could make the shots more difficult to obtain for children under 5, in particular. The moves were announced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, in a post on the social media site X, while the FDA did not put out a statement. Covid vaccine authorizations for all three available vaccines, Kennedy said, would now only be for higher-risk individuals, including those over 65 and those who have risk factors for developing severe Covid. Read more:  STAT News   White House restores stalled CDC research funds Tens of millions of dollars in funding for health programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that had been blocked by the Trump administration is being released to grantees. According to several CDC employees, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the agency’s spending plans for specific grants, which had been held up since at least the end of July. Read more:  The Hill   RFK Jr cancels $500m in funding for mRNA vaccines for diseases like Covid The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to cancel $500m in funding for mRNA vaccines being developed to counter viruses that cause diseases such as the flu and Covid-19. That will impact 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, HHS said. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, announced he was pulling the funding over claims that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses". Read more:  BBC News   Supreme Court allows NIH to axe millions of research funds related to DEI The Supreme Court will allow the National Institutes of Health to cut millions of dollars allocated for research funds as the Trump administration continues its effort to bar federal funds from supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. The court ruled 5-4 on Thursday to allow the administration to cancel $783 million in previously allocated grants, reversing a lower court’s order blocking the cuts. However, the justices left in place a portion of the lower court’s ruling that threw out the original guidance documents outlining the policies, raising questions about whether the administration will be able to withhold research dollars for similar reasons moving forward. Read more:  Health Care Dive   Defense   Pentagon’s tech innovation head abruptly steps down The influential head of the Defense Innovation Unit — the Pentagon’s in-house tech incubator — abruptly stepped down on Monday, removing the last high-profile Biden administration holdover at the Defense Department and severing a key link with Silicon Valley. Doug Beck, a former vice president at Apple, said Monday in a goodbye email that it would be his last day, according to two people familiar with the matter. He did not provide any reason for his departure. Read more:  Politico   Pentagon CTO says Defense Innovation Unit will remain independent The Defense Department’s chief technology officer told reporters Wednesday he doesn’t intend to maintain permanent oversight of the Defense Innovation Unit, adding that the Pentagon is looking for a full-time replacement following the former director’s resignation earlier this week. Following previous DIU Director Doug Beck’s sudden resignation from the role Monday, the Pentagon announced Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael would lead the organization in an acting capacity. Read more:  Defense News   Hegseth fires Defense Intelligence Agency head, Navy leaders Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites angered President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House official. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse will no longer serve as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Read more:  Military Times   Pentagon to trim list of critical technology areas The Defense Department’s list of critical technology areas it wants to prioritize is about to get shorter, according to the Pentagon’s CTO. Emil Michael, the new undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and DOD chief technology officer — who also became acting director of the Defense Innovation Unit earlier this week after Doug Beck resigned — said Wednesday he plans to remove some of the list’s current categories. During the Biden administration, the list grew to 14 categories. Read more:  Defense Scoop   DOD official says AI, other innovations will transform future warfighting In a conflict scenario, artificial intelligence can assist the warfighter in discerning what is happening in the environment and better understand the tactics the adversary might use, thereby improving decision-making, said Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering. Michael provided the keynote address at the National Defense Industrial Association in Washington on August 27. He also held a media roundtable immediately after the address. Read more:  DoD   DoD cuts staff at science, tech archive center The Department of Defense (DoD) announced August 4 it plans to reduce the number of personnel working at its scientific archive center to refocus on the “core mission and save taxpayer dollars.” Directed by the under secretary for research and engineering, the move will see the Defense Technology Information Center (DTIC) reduce its civilian workforce. DTIC serves as the principal repository for government-funded research related to science, engineering, and business within the DoD. Read more:  MeriTalk   Hegseth says Chinese nationals no longer allowed to work on Pentagon cloud Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the Pentagon would no longer allow Chinese nationals to work as coders on Department of Defense (DOD) cloud systems. A program previously allowed Chinese developers to work as “digital escorts” in a role modeled by Microsoft, where foreign nationals remain under the supervision of remote U.S. contractors. Hegseth said the effort “exposed” the department to “unacceptable risks.” Read more:  The Hill   Energy   DOE allocates second round of HALEU fuel to three U.S. nuclear companies The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled three more companies to which it will allocate high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) under conditional commitments in a bid to support advanced reactor development and domestic fuel production. The Aug. 26 announcement marks the second round of allocations under DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, but it links to two initiatives launched over the past few weeks under recent executive orders. Read more:  Power Magazine   Energy Department orders "special" investigation of plutonium pit problems Deputy Energy Secretary James Danly earlier this month ordered a 120-day "special study" of the pit production endeavor overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration. A memo this month from Energy Department leadership reignites questions about the future of the effort, which has become a punching bag for critics and a pea among the mattresses of nuclear modernization. Read more:  Axios   Energy Department celebrates national hydropower day In celebration of National Hydropower Day (Sunday, Aug. 24), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced agreements on 11 projects and two prize competitions that will strengthen American hydropower and remove key barriers to its development. The projects and competitions, funded by the Waterpower Technologies Office (WPTO), will boost hydropower research and development, foster small business innovation, and strengthen the domestic workforce. Read more:  DOE   EPA terminates $7 billion Solar for All program The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it is terminating its $7 billion Solar for All program that was designed to bring renewable and affordable energy to low-income communities. Sources confirmed that the agency planned to scrap the program. Solar for All provided funding to 60 grant recipients that planned to create or expand existing low-income solar programs, with the goal of enabling 900,000 households across the country in disadvantaged communities to utilize solar energy to reduce their home energy bills. Read more:  CBS News   Space   SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites on record-breaking 30th flight SpaceX has broken its rocket reuse record again, notching a nice round number in the process. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday at 4:12 a.m. EDT (0812 GMT), carrying 28 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites toward low Earth orbit (LEO). It was the 30th liftoff for this Falcon 9's first stage, which carries the designation 1067. Read more:  Space.com   NASA James Webb Space Telescope observes interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS NASA observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS through the lens of the James Webb Space Telescope for the first time. On Aug. 6, the telescope with its near-infrared Spectrograph instrument analyzed the comet as it provided more information about its size, physical properties, and chemical makeup. Read more:  UPI   IBM and NASA release groundbreaking open-source AI model to predict solar weather IBM and NASA have unveiled the most advanced open-source foundation model designed to understand high resolution solar observation data and predict how solar activity affects Earth and space-based technology. Surya, named for the Sanskrit word for the Sun, represents a significant advancement in applying AI to solar image interpretation and space weather forecasting research, providing a novel tool to help protect everything from GPS navigation to power grids to telecommunications from the Sun's ever-changing nature. Read more:  IBM   White House issues executive order to revamp commercial space regulations The White House has issued a widely anticipated executive order addressing several commercial space regulatory issues, from launch licensing reform to mission authorization. The order, titled “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry” and signed by President Trump Aug. 13, has the stated intent of improving the competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry through several actions. Read more:  Space News   Science and Technology   After U.S. takes stake in Intel, Trump pledges ‘many more’ deals Three days after the United States agreed to acquire a stake in the chipmaker Intel, President Trump signaled on Monday that he would pursue similar investments in other major companies, describing his new economic strategy as an attempt to “get as much as I can.” Mr. Trump’s pledge underscored a significant and potentially risky shift in the relationship between government and private enterprise. With a particular focus on powerful computer chips, the White House expressed new fervor for nationalizing certain industries and technologies, in ways that conservatives once may have found unfathomable. Read more:  New York Times   Fundamental Science and Engineering   GSA launches search for new Alexandria office space to house displaced National Science Foundation The General Services Administration has launched an official search for office space in Alexandria to relocate the National Science Foundation after the agency was displaced from its Eisenhower Avenue headquarters. The search comes as the Trump administration announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would take over NSF’s current headquarters at 2415 Eisenhower Ave., forcing the research funding agency to find new accommodations. HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and GSA Commissioner Michael Peters made the announcement at the NSF headquarters, emphasizing taxpayer savings and improved working conditions for HUD employees. Read more:  NSF NSF invests $29.2 million in EPSCoR Research Infrastructure collaborations for transformative impact across 11 jurisdictions The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced six major awards through its EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC), investing $29.2 million across 11 jurisdictions to strengthen research capacity and drive translational research across the nation. These four-year awards aim to catalyze transformative research and infrastructure enhancement in states historically underfunded in federal research. The selected projects span critical areas, including use-inspired research in the study of Earth systems, wildfire management, water resource management, ecosystem and human health risks, functionality of electronic devices, biotechnology and artificial intelligence-driven health care. Read more:  EPSCOR NSF announces new funding opportunities to advance AI education The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced two new Dear Colleague Letters (DCL) and one program solicitation that implement key elements of the Trump administration's executive order, "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth." The new opportunities will take decisive steps to expand resources for K-12 AI education, enhance teacher training and harness AI tools and services to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning. Read more:  AI Education NSF invests over $74 million in 6 mathematical sciences research institutes The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing over $74 million in six research institutes focused on the mathematical sciences and their broad applications in all fields of science, technology and many industries. Reflecting the universal usefulness of the mathematical sciences, the institutes have partnered with and received support from a broad range of public and private organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Advanced Micro Devices, IBM, Microsoft, the Gates Foundation, the Simons Foundation and many others. Read more:  NSF Innovative traineeships prepare the next generation of STEM leaders The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced $45 million to fund 15 new awards through the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program, with projects focusing on artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology and translational science. These represent NRT's most significant annual investment in institutions located in NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions and extend the program's reach to science, technology, engineering and math graduate students in 47 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including two new states, Idaho and North Dakota. Read more:  Innovative Traineeships NSF to invest in new national network of AI-programmable cloud laboratories The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced a new funding opportunity that would invest up to $100 million to support a network of "programmable cloud laboratories," aimed at expanding access to cutting-edge technology to accelerate the automation of scientific discovery and innovation. The NSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (NSF PCL Test Bed) would establish artificial intelligence-enabled laboratories nationwide to integrate, test, evaluate and validate the capabilities of new cutting-edge AI-based technologies. Read more:  Cloud Laboratories   Oceans and Atmosphere   Here's what NOAA predicts for the weather this fall The latest fall season outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is out, and it’s calling for balmy and possibly hot conditions for much of the country in the fall. The seasonal outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts whether parts of the country will be above, below or near average for parts of the country for the meteorological fall -- September through November. NOAA’s outlook puts much of the country with a higher chance of a warmer fall than normal, with the highest chance of warmer-than-average temperatures in the Southwest and New England. Read more:  MSN   Trump admin opens public comments on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness NOAA Fisheries has opened a public comment period for feedback on how the agency should implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. “Through our implementation of the President’s Executive Order, NOAA Fisheries is aiming to address the recent decline in fisheries landings and revenues,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler said in a release. “We look forward to receiving input from the public.” Trump issued the executive order 17 April, directing Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and NOAA Fisheries to identify fisheries regulations to streamline or eliminate. Read more:  Seafood Source   Environment   Interior expands hunting and fishing access at refuges and hatcheries On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior announced 42 new hunting and sport fishing opportunities across more than 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This final update more than triples the number of opportunities and quintuples the number of units opened or expanded compared to the previous administration, underscoring a strong national commitment to outdoor recreation and conservation. Read more:  DOI   USGS proposes adding copper, potash to critical minerals list The U.S. Geological Survey called for adding copper and potash to its list of critical minerals Monday, a designation that can unlock additional federal subsidies and faster permitting for their production. The agency proposed designating six new minerals as “critical” -- potash, silicon, copper, silver, rhenium and lead -- while removing arsenic and tellurium, bringing the total list to 54 minerals. Read more:  Politico Pro   Justice Department to investigate California EPA over racial equity initiatives The California Environmental Protection Agency has become the latest target in the Trump administration’s effort to purge “race-based decision-making” from government agencies across the country. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into CalEPA to determine whether its hiring and employment practices intended to “advance racial equity” violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. DOJ officials are specifically eyeing the California Air Resources Board — a division of the agency that’s advocated for tighter vehicle emissions restrictions than the federal government has prescribed. Read more:  SF Chronicle   Agriculture   Senate Ag leaders call for more review time and transparency with USDA reorganization plan Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, sent a letter to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden Monday asking him to give agricultural groups and employees more time to comment on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to dramatically reorganize the agency. She also asked him to share those comments with the public. The letter was signed by several other Democrats on the committee and by Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the Senate minority leader. Read more:  Civil Eats   Secretary Rollins opens next step in the roadless rule rescission U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins on August 27 announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken the next step in the rulemaking process for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule by opening a public comment period. The USDA Forest Service is publishing a notice seeking public comment on its intention to develop an environmental impact statement for the proposed rescission of the rule. The notice details the reasons for rescinding the rule, the potential effects on people and resources, and how national forests and grasslands are managed. Read more:  USDA   Human screwworm case poses no risk to agriculture, says USDA official The human case of screwworm reported this week by U.S. health officials is the country's only one so far this year and poses no risk to the farm sector, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said on Tuesday. Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that eats its hosts alive, has moved northward through Central America and southern Mexico, putting the U.S. cattle industry on high alert. An outbreak could cost the economy of Texas, the top cattle-producing state, nearly $2 billion, according to U.S. estimates. Read more:  Reuters   U.S. soybean exports to China drop as harvest begins According to USDA data, China has yet to purchase any U.S. soybeans this year. While U.S. exports to China typically ramp up in the fall after U.S. harvest season starts, the lack of any sales is triggering major alarm bells. Just five years ago, China purchased about 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans through mid-August. Last year, the year-to-date number over the same time had plunged to only 2 million. Many industry analysts say tariffs are pricing American farmers out of the market. Read more:  Farm Progress