U.S. Federal Leadership Transition
General Information and Resources on the U.S. Federal Leadership Transition for SRCD Members
General Information and Resources for SRCD Members
With the Trump Administration set to take office in the new year, along with a Republican-controlled 119th U.S. Congress, the SRCD Policy Department remains dedicated to monitoring critical policy areas and regulatory developments. Below, you will find general information, resources, and timely updates on significant changes affecting key U.S. federal agencies. The SRCD Policy Department continues to prioritize efforts that support children’s well-being and advocate for science funding in the yearly federal appropriations process.
Leadership and Governance
The Trump Administration has started to announce nominees to science and research-based federal agencies, which require confirmation by the U.S. Senate. With new leadership, we expect shifts on senior level officials of different offices, departments, and institutes within the federal government.
| U.S. Federal Agencies | Nominees |
| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) | Russell Vought |
| Health and Human Services (HHS) | Robert F. Kennedy; Jim O’Neill |
| Administration for Children and Families (ACF) | Announcement Forthcoming |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | Dr. Dave Weldon |
| Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) | Announcement Forthcoming |
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) | Dr. Mehmet Oz |
| Food and Drug Administration (FDA) | Dr. Marty Makary |
| Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) | Announcement Forthcoming |
| The National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Dr. Jay Bhattacharya |
| Department of Agriculture (DOA) | Brooke Rollins |
| Department of Education (ED) | Linda McMahon |
| Institute of Education Services (IES) | Announcement Forthcoming |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | Announcement Forthcoming |
| Department of Justice (DOJ) | Pam Bondi |
An Overview of the 119th U.S. Congress
The Republican Party, also known as the GOP, won the majority in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. On the U.S. House of Representatives, the GOP was able to maintain a slim majority, securing 218 seats. Rep. Johnson was able to secure his seat as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
There are minimal changes in leadership roles in committees of interest to SRCD.
On the U.S. Senate, the GOP regained the majority, securing 53 seats. Sen. John Thune has been elected as the new Senate Majority Leader. In terms of committee leadership, as a Democratic-led Senate now flips to a GOP-led chamber, most of the changes in committees of interest to SRCD flipped from Ranking Members to now Chairs, and Chairs to Ranking Members.
Policy Areas to Watch
SRCD remains committed to representing our members' interests at the U.S. federal level. Some of the several themes to monitor with the new Administration and 119th U.S Congress would be:
Federal Government Spending & Presidential Campaign Promises
• Reductions in science funding in the appropriation process
• Limited funding support for mental health programs
• Reauthorization of the Farm Bill without proper funding support to social welfare programs that support vulnerable children and their families
• Changes to Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act
• Lack of funding support for childcare programs, or childcare tax exemptions (e.g. child tax credit).
• Stricter immigration policies
Scientific Integrity
• Increased skepticism regarding vaccines
• Rollbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies within the scientific federal workforce
SRCD’s Policy Priorities
Click on the button below to view SRCD’s policy priorities and learn how we work with coalition partners to support our members through the promotion of evidence-based policymaking that supports children's development and well-being.
SRCD is prepared to support our members, policymakers and stakeholders.
SRCD’s Policy Department is committed to continuing our non-partisan efforts to ensure that children's development remains a top priority for policymakers. With the new Child Policy Hub, SRCD Policy staff and SRCD members are now better equipped to promote evidence-based policymaking.
With Science Advocacy and in coordination with the SRCD's Policy Committee, our policy staff will advocate for science funding, submit responses to requests for information or notices of proposed rulemaking, endorse letters supporting programs that positively impact children, closely monitor nominations and legislation, and more. Click the button below to learn more about our policy efforts in 2024.
Child Policy Connect
SRCD continues to build a reputation of an organization of honest and trusted brokers of science with its new Child Policy Connect program. In the 119th Congress, SRCD’s policy team will be meeting with Congressional offices to learn what questions they need researchers to answer about child and family policy. The policy team will then match the Connect community members with Congressional offices based on shared interests, building bi-directional research-to-policy relationships in the process.
Learn More and Join the Connect Community
Child Policy Briefs
As new policy challenges arise throughout the new Congress and Presidential administration, the new Child Policy Briefs program will respond to our members’ pressing policy concerns. Members can access existing SRCD policy publications on the Child Policy Briefs web page and will soon be able to submit topics for new briefs. These briefs are tools for members to inform their own advocacy and policy work.
Resources
As things progress in the policy space, be in the lookout for SRCD’s weekly newsletter, and follow our social media pages for news and updates. SRCD members can also subscribe to our Coalition Partners newsletters. Click on the button below to learn more about our coalition work.
SRCD on Social Media
LinkedIn | X (formerly Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky
Newsletter of Coalition Partners
Consortium of Social Science Associations | Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS)