Science Fares Well in Appropriations Deal. Late Sunday, April 30, Congress reached an appropriations deal to avert a government shutdown and fund the government through September (the rest of FY17). This omnibus appropriations bill still needs to be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President this week (the current continuing resolution expires on Friday, May 5). Despite the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump administration, scientific programs actually fared reasonably well. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will see a $2 billion increase (Trump had proposed a cut of over $1 billion). The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will see a $16 million increase (Trump has proposed eliminating ARPA-E). Read more about scientific programs in the appropriations deal here, and more about what's in it more broadly here and here.

Climate Science Removed from EPA Website. Just hours before demonstrators filled the streets for the People's Climate March, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) climate science website was taken down on Friday, April 28. The site, which explained what climate change is and described its causes and consequences, had existed in some form for two decades, even surviving the George W. Bush administration. The changes were made because, according to an agency spokesperson, "Our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency."

Trump's First 100 Days. The first 100 days of the Trump presidency ended on Saturday, April 29. This has been a trying time for science (see here and here) and technology (see here). One one hand, the Trump administration has shown indifference to science, as large numbers of scientific posts go unfilled, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) remains understaffed, and a presidential science advisor has not been named. On the other hand, the administration has shown direct opposition to science, as in the drastic cuts it has proposed for FY18. The Trump administration has also directly targeted climate science, including by selecting for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier who had previously worked in direct opposition to the EPA and its mission to protect health and the environment. On the technology front, the administration signed a bill in early April eliminating privacy rules meant to protect Americans from invasive surveillance by internet service providers (ISPs), and it is now targeting net neutrality (see below).

Trump and GOP Target Net Neutrality. On Wednesday, April 26, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai released a notice of proposed rulemaking that essentially describes how the Trump administration intends to dismantle the Obama administration's 2015 rules on net neutrality (see the full notice here). The rules that the Trump administration intends to scrap classified internet service providers (ISPs) as common carriers and prevented them from dividing the internet into fast lanes, for content providers willing to pay a higher fee for their content, and slow lanes for all other content. The proposal will be voted on by the FCC at its May 18 meeting. In the meantime, the proposed rule is up for public comment until July 17.

On the same day as the FCC's notice, a large group of startups (now numbering over 1,000) headlined by Engine, Y Combinator, and Techstars, published an open letter to Pai in support of existing net neutrality rules. The letter states that startups "depend on an open Internet—including enforceable net neutrality rules that ensure big cable companies can't discriminate against people like us…. Without net neutrality, the incumbents who provide access to the Internet would be able to pick winners or losers in the market."

Congressional Republicans are also joining the Trump administration in attacking net neutrality. On Monday, May 1, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced S.993, which would "prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from reclassifying broadband Internet access service as a telecommunications service and from imposing certain regulations on providers of such service" (i.e. prevent the FCC from being able to impose net neutrality rules).

Monday also brought some positive news for net neutrality, though, when the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit announced that it will not rehear a case that upheld existing regulations. Opponents of the ruling will likely appeal to the Supreme Court.

ARPA-E Grants Frozen. In April, the Department of Energy (DOE) stopped payments for previously awarded Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) grants worth tens of millions of dollars in an unusual "no-contract action". Science magazine reports that "The resulting uncertainty is having a devastating impact on research teams, scientists say, and even threatens the viability of small companies for whom these major awards are so important." The affected individuals have not been able to get more information about their grants due to a gag order on ARPA-E program managers. On Wednesday, April 26, Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, sent a letter to DOE Secretary Rick Perry inquiring about the status of ARPA-E and this "potentially illegal" action.

Regulatory Reform Will Be Complicated. One of Trump's first executive orders (EOs) required the elimination of two regulations for every new one and established a cap for the total costs of regulations. DC law firm Venable LLP released an FAQ guide to the EO, noting that one of the biggest challenges will be for agencies to develop new evidence to support the deregulatory action in order to defend against challenges in court. Agencies and stakeholders may not want to spend substantial time and money, especially in cases where industry has already undertaken compliance measures and deregulatory action would provide an advantage to new entrants.

One of the rules likely to be affected by the EO is an update to the Lead and Copper Rule of 1991, which sets the standard for the amount of lead allowable in drinking water. The agency has long acknowledged the standard is based on feasibility, and that ideally drinking water would contain no lead. However, millions of homes still have lead pipes, and replacing them would cost tens of billions of dollars. Utilities have questioned how EPA would find enough savings to comply with the EO mandate to offset the cost of new regulations by repealing older ones. However the EO also contains an exemption allowing regulations that address health and safety emergencies to go forward without immediately offsetting costs, which would be determined by the administration on a case by case basis.

Rolling Back Environmental Justice. The rollback of environmental safeguards by Trump and the GOP Congress and the proposed program and budget cuts to EPA will likely have the greatest impacts on those who are already the most impacted by pollution: communities of color and low-income communities. Since President Clinton's Executive Order on Environmental Justice in 1994, the EPA and federal agencies have committed to reducing disparities in exposure to pollution and improving public participation in environmental governance. Trump's proposed FY18 budget undermines this progress by eliminating the Office of Environmental Justice at EPA (as noted in the EPA's detailed FY18 spending cut plan), which provides training and leadership for the agency and grants and tools for communities. The budget also cuts funding for lead paint cleanup programs and for the superfund program, which cleans up the country's worst toxic waste sites. Executive orders that roll back clean energy programs and vehicle fuel standards will lead to more air pollution, exacerbating health impacts such as asthma, which have a greater impact on communities of color.

Challenge to Lamar Smith. Derrick Crowe, a climate justice organizer, former staffer for senior Democrats in Congress, and former small business owner, is running to unseat Rep. Lamar Smith in Texas's 21st Congressional District in 2018. Smith is the Chairman of the House Science, Technology, and Space Committee, but also a climate change denier and frequent impediment to the practice of science. Crowe began his campaign on April 1, 2017 and considers himself a "proud progressive Democrat who will stand up to corporate power on behalf of the people of the 21st District of Texas." To find out more, visit Crowe's campaign website

Appointments and Confirmations

  • The Senate confirmed Sonny Perdue as Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday, April 24.
  • On Thursday, April 27, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved Trump's nomination of Scott Gottlieb to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), setting up a vote by the full Senate in the near future.
  • Politico reported on Tuesday, May 2, that George Sigounas is the new administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). According to Politico, "The appointment was greeted with surprise among health policy researchers, advocates and administrators, who had not heard of Sigounas and noted that he has no apparent background in rural health, HRSA's chief focus."
  • Trump announced on Friday that he is appointing Charmaine Yoest to be assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Yoest was previously president of the anti-abortion organization Americans United for Life and claimed that scientists are "under the control of the abortion lobby" when asked to provide evidence for her assertion that abortion causes breast cancer.
  • On Monday, May 1, Politico reported that Trump will appoint Teresa Manning to be deputy assistant secretary for population affairs at HHS, ironically putting someone who apparently does not believe that birth control is effective in charge of $286 million in Title X family-planning grants.

Upcoming Congressional Hearings

What You Can Do

  • The EPA is accepting public comments until May 15. Find out more and pledge your support here.
  • Comment on the FCC's plan to eliminate net neutrality rules. Find out more here.
  • Support Derrick Crowe's campaign to unseat Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21).

Highlights from Partner Organizations

  • If you are in Washington, DC, on Friday, May 12, join 500 Women Scientists, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), and the Earth Day Network for a lunchtime rally during Public Service Recognition Week to say thanks to EPA employees--letting them know that we appreciate their work, especially now that tit is more important than ever. RSVP here.
  • The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will be hosting a live chat on AAAS's Facebook and Twitter pages this Wednesday, May 3rd, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Scientific society leaders will discuss the significance of the March for Science, how we can build on the March's momentum, and what scientific societies are doing to help.

- Science & Technology Policy Working Group, RISE Stronger

Have comments or something to add? Contact the RISE Science & Technology Policy Working Group at [email protected]