APA Services has been working closely with the behavioral and social sciences community to preserve psychological science at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The President’s FY2027 budget proposalopens in new window would eliminate the Social, Behavioral and Economics (SBE) directorate at NSF and propose a 54% cut to the agency. This comes after the entire National Science Board, an independent body of scientists advising the NSF, was recently dismissed. Furthermore, the NSF has lacked a permanent, Senate-confirmed director since the resignation of Sethuraman Panchanathan in April 2025.
The NSF is an invaluable resource for psychological scientists, with the SBE directorate alone supporting the vast majority of federally funded basic psychological research. APA Services has been meeting consistently with elected officials to ensure they understand the value of psychological research at NSF. During the recent February 2026 Council Hill Day, APA leadership advocated for the continued support of psychological science and its integration with emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the NSF.
APA Services recently joined behavioral and social science partners on Capitol Hill to advocate for an open confirmation hearing for Jim O’Neill, who has been nominated to be the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). O'Neill served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from June 2025 to February 2026, and concurrently as the acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The coalition met with members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to emphasize the critical role of social and behavioral sciences in addressing national challenges.
To ensure scientists can continue to conduct impartial, credible research, the NSF must operate without political interference. As APA CEO Dr. Arthur C. Evans Jr. noted in a recent statementopens in new window, the independent scientific infrastructure of the NSB was established specifically to maintain scientific integrity and must be safeguarded from instability.
Our advocacy is most effective when the scientific community speaks with one voice. As an active member of the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), APA Services will continue to advocate for the importance of scientific independence at the NSF to ensure the United States remains a world leader in scientific progress and innovation. Urge your members of Congress to protect behavioral and social science research at the NSF by using the online Action Centeropens in new window.