Researchers Sue to Stop NSF Social Science Cuts

Two researchers and three scientific organizations filed suit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on November 9, seeking to stop the National Science Foundation from closing its office overseeing social, behavioral and economic research. The office supports research in areas including psychology, economics and brain science.

The lawsuit argues the agency cannot close the division without following required procedures. It says Congress directed the NSF not to cut the directorate’s budget by more than 5% in its January 2026 appropriation, and that agency leadership announced plans to close it without consulting the National Science Board. The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward.

The organizations involved are a federation for behavioral and brain science associations, a society focused on experimental social psychology, and a society devoted to social and affective neuroscience. The researchers are Jenna Croteau of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Gregg Sparkman of Boston College.

The complaint says the office has supported close to two out of every three government-funded basic studies in social, behavioral and economic sciences. It argues that ending the support would put research on issues such as health, economic policy, human behavior and artificial intelligence at risk.

An NSF spokesperson said the division remains open. The agency is planning and taking steps to carry out the president’s agenda, the spokesperson said, and regularly reviews funding opportunities to align them with its priorities.

The NSF’s 2027 budget proposal called for closing out the directorate, while transferring some continuing grants and affected employees to other parts of the agency. The lawsuit seeks to halt that course. Columbia professor Jon Freeman said the public could lose discoveries and improvements to people’s lives if the division is dismantled.

Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit Over NSF Science Cuts

The Trump administration’s drive to close a National Science Foundation division supporting social, behavioral and economic research is now facing a legal challenge. Two researchers and three scientific organizations sued in Massachusetts on November 9, asking a federal court to stop the agency’s plan.

The stakes reach well beyond university laboratories. The division has supported close to two out of every three government-funded basic studies in these fields, and the lawsuit says its funding has contributed to work on health, economic policy and human behavior. Researchers warn that cutting off support could halt projects on pressing questions, including the effects of artificial intelligence.

The complaint says Congress directed the NSF not to reduce the directorate’s budget by more than 5% in its January 2026 appropriation. It also argues agency leaders announced plans to close the division without consulting the National Science Board, as required. The plaintiffs include a federation for behavioral and brain science associations, two scientific societies, and researchers Jenna Croteau and Gregg Sparkman.

The NSF says the division remains open and describes its actions as planning to implement the president’s agenda. Its 2027 budget proposal, however, calls for closing out the division, with some continuing grants and affected employees transferred elsewhere.

The lawsuit challenges a policy that risks sacrificing scientific capacity and future discoveries in the name of changing agency priorities. Columbia professor Jon Freeman warned that the public would bear the cost if the directorate is dismantled. The court is being asked to stop the closure plan.

Court Should Examine NSF’s Authority to Restructure Research

A lawsuit over the National Science Foundation’s plans for its social sciences directorate puts a serious question before the court: whether agency leaders can reorganize research funding in line with presidential priorities while Congress sets limits on cuts.

Two researchers and three scientific organizations filed the case in Massachusetts on November 9. The complaint says Congress directed the NSF not to reduce the directorate’s budget by more than 5% in its January 2026 appropriation, and argues the agency announced a plan to close it without consulting the National Science Board.

The NSF says the division remains open and that it is taking steps to implement the president’s agenda. Its 2027 budget proposal calls for closing out the directorate, while moving some continuing grants and affected staff to other parts of the agency. The agency also says it regularly reviews funding opportunities to align them with its priorities.

The case involves competing responsibilities: Congress’s funding direction and the administration’s effort to set agency priorities. The lawsuit’s plaintiffs say the division underpins close to two out of every three government-funded basic studies in social, behavioral and economic sciences and that ending its support would jeopardize work on issues including health, economics and artificial intelligence.

The court will be asked to decide whether the NSF’s planned course can proceed. The dispute should be judged on the governing instructions and the agency’s authority, not on claims that any one research area must be shielded from review.