On January 22, 2025, the Trump administration cancelled federal scientific advisory committee meetings at several federal agencies, with no word on when or if the meetings would resume. These meetings serve as a critical opportunity for federal agency officials to meet with scientists for expert scientific advice and information needed for the agencies to fulfill their missions.
The cancellations will disrupt research funding, grant proposals and distribution, peer review of ongoing projects, and other agency efforts that require scientific expertise. The affected agencies include the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Update: The Trump administration is again allowing agencies to post mandatory meeting notices in the Federal Register, effectively lifting the freeze on advisory council meetings at the National Institutes of Health and allowing the grant review process to resume. The administration has also removed a hold on NIH study sections meetings at which grant proposals are initially peer reviewed.