Updates from the US: Grants cut, journal subscriptions cancelled and more

The pace and scale of developments make it difficult to report on every change of impact in the US. Here are some key recent developments:

• The Senate confirmed Michael Kratsios as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Dr Jayanta Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health. This should mean that we’ll hear very soon about further plans for OSTP and NIH. The Administration also has made additional nominations for science roles at agencies.

• The administration continued its efforts to reduce spending on science — cancelling grants that don’t align with Federal priorities, cutting staff (including 25% of the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes NIH) and even plans to close science offices across government agencies. The White House directed agencies to develop plans to reduce staff by 13 March, which are now being reviewed. Although the plans aren’t public yet, cuts are expected to be significant to research funding and administration.

• Federal agencies cancelled subscriptions to scholarly journals across the government, limiting federal researchers’ and program officers’ ability to stay on top of developments in science. The direct impact on publishers is unclear, but STM is following it closely and will advocate for the government to continue to subscribe for access to the information it needs to advance science and inform decision-making.

• The administration is making it difficult for non-US researchers to participate in US scientific exchange, sending letters to researchers about their politics and restricting travel to the US.

• The Trump administration doubled down on its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, with profound impacts on research and the university system.