Science policy this week: Mar. 3, 2025

What’s Ahead

Protesters gathered outside NOAA’s headquarters in Maryland on March 3 to protest the Trump administration’s treatment of the agency.

Clare Zhang / FYI

NSF reinstating probationary employees, status of NOAA layoffs unclear

The director of the National Science Foundation has ordered the immediate reinstatement of probationary employees who were laid off two weeks ago. The move comes in response to a judge’s ruling on Feb. 27 that the Office of Personnel Management does not have the authority to direct other agencies to make layoffs. An NSF spokesperson said today that NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan has “ordered the immediate reinstatement of terminated probationers with backpay and no break in service based on updated guidance from OPM and the federal courts.”

Prior to the ruling, NSF had already begun reinstating probationary employees who are veterans, military spouses, or have identified disabilities in response to separate guidance from OPM. Among the original layoffs, 86 employees were probationary and the other 84 were part-time experts. The reinstatement applies to 84 probationary staff, the spokesperson said.

NSF has come under fire for its handling of the Trump administration’s directives, including its abrupt reclassification of certain employees as probationary. Democrats on the House Science Committee have also asked NSF’s governing board to “speak out to ensure that NSF does not further damage itself and its reputation,” pointing to the layoffs, the temporary funding freeze last month, and the agency’s ongoing review of grants for terms potentially related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They also cited reporting that has “called into question the entire future of the U.S. Antarctic Program,” which is managed by NSF.

Though NSF is reinstating its laid-off probationary employees, the picture at other science agencies remains unclear. Hundreds of probationary employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were let go last week by the Trump administration. Speaking to FYI this morning, a NOAA employee who was laid off said he has not yet heard anything from the agency about possible reinstatement following the judge’s order.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear if the administration plans to proceed with laying off up to 500 employees at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as it appeared poised to do last month. Democrats on the House Science Committee, along with House CCP Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) sent a letter to the Commerce Department last week to express concern over reports of NIST layoffs and potential cuts at the Bureau of Industry and Security, which creates and implements export controls.

Agencies instructed to prepare plans for further layoffs

The White House instructed agency heads last week to submit a first plan for large-scale reductions in force (RIFs) and reorganization by March 13 and a second plan by April 14. The first must identify the agency units to be targeted for initial reductions, the headcount target for reductions, and lists of all positions categorized as essential for exclusion from RIFs, among other information. The second must cover all planned reductions in positions, procedures to ensure no more than one employee is hired for every four that depart, and any proposals to relocate agency offices from the D.C. area to lower-cost parts of the country, among other information. Texas and Florida have emerged as candidates for relocating NASA headquarters.

Senate to consider NIH director nomination

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will consider the nomination of Jay Bhattacharya to be the director of the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday. Bhattacharya prominently opposed lockdowns instituted to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the early 2020s. He was one of the architects of an open letter opposing lockdowns and eventually sued the Biden administration, accusing it of colluding with social media companies to prevent him from sharing his views. The Supreme Court ruled against him in 2023. The Wall Street Journal reports that Bhattacharya is considering ranking universities according to their level of “academic freedom” and using that ranking to inform NIH grants. The NIH grant process is currently embroiled in the Trump administration’s effort to sharply reduce the rate at which NIH reimburses universities for indirect costs. A federal judge extended the order preventing that cut from going into effect last month.

Science Committee to discuss research security

The House Science Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday focused on “assessing the threat to U.S. funded research.” Witnesses include Jeffrey Stoff, president of the Center for Research Security and Integrity; John Sargent Jr., a retired specialist in science and technology policy for the Congressional Research Service; and Maria Zuber, an MIT geophysics professor. Zuber co-chaired the National Science, Technology and Security Roundtable, which recently concluded its work because its congressional authorization expired. Stoff recently appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advocate for new research security measures designed to counter malign actions by the Chinese government. The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a similar hearing Wednesday on threats posed by the Chinese government, including risks facing academia.

New tool provides in-depth look at federal science workforce

The American Institute of Physics released an interactive tool last week that breaks down the composition and geographic distribution of federal workers in the physical sciences and engineering. The tool also includes information on salary, disciplinary subfield, and retirement eligibility. AIP built the tool using data from the Office of Personnel Management up to 2024.

Also on our radar

A protest called “Stand Up for Science” will occur Friday at the Lincoln Memorial in DC and across dozens of states as part of their nationwide campus and workplace walkout. The lead organizers are calling for the reinstatement of fired federal scientists, the removal of NIH’s 15% cap on indirect costs, and a 20% increase in federal science funding over the next three years.
The Senate Small Business Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on reforming the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which are set to expire in September 2025. The equivalent House committee held a hearing on these programs last week at which members advocated for adding new research security measures to the programs and for increasing their budgets.
Rice University will host three former directors of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for a panel discussion on Wednesday. Kelvin Droegemeier, Neal Lane, and Alondra Nelson who served under the Trump, Clinton, and Biden administrations, respectively, will discuss OSTP’s role in advancing national science and technology policies.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has appointed Stuart Levenbach to lead its Energy, Science, and Water Division. Levenbach holds a doctorate in marine ecology and previously served as NOAA’s chief of staff during the first Trump administration.