The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed significant changes to how federal grants are administered across the science and research community. The NPA opposes this action and suggests all postdocs exercise their rights today and push back with a four-step process that should take ~30 minutes to complete. Please use your voice when responding, rather than only copying the NPA sample text. The deadline is Monday, July 13.

We need your help today in fighting a proposed rule from the White House Office of Management and Budget that jeopardizes science and research in this country, including postdoctoral work.

Among many changes, the rule moves grantmaking decisions on research to political personnel in the White House rather than agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, and NASA), which would now serve in an advisory capacity only. It codifies the current administration's anti-DEI views into federal regulations. It restricts where you may publish research findings from federally funded work.

Hundreds of science and research coalitions, local government groups, and national defense organizations are fighting this rule. The NPA is fighting for you. But this doesn’t work without you.

This rule will almost certainly be decided by Congress or the courts using your input. We need you to act. NPA developed a 4-step process that should take ~30 minutes to complete. Please use your voice when responding, rather than only copying the NPA sample text. The deadline is July 13.

With our nation’s 250th anniversary this week, I wish I had a more celebratory ask of you. At the NPA, we continue to celebrate all that you do. And perhaps consider this act a way of expressing your support for your belief in the freedom of creative expression and public support of research that are integral parts of the American experience.

Thanks for your support,

Thomas P. Kimbis, J.D.
Executive Director & CEO
National Postdoctoral Association

June 3, 2026

Last Friday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a massive proposed rule, "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance," to revise regulations governing federal grants (2 CFR Part 200).

Among other changes, the rule would centralize federal funding authority in the White House, reducing the discretion of all agencies, including NIH, NSF, DOD, and NASA; codify the current administration's anti-DEI views into federal regulations to combat a “‘woke’ policy agenda”; and introduce new unallowable funding costs, including publication, conference, and membership expenses without prior federal approval.

The NPA is taking necessary steps to stay informed, involved, and engaged to fully understand the implications of this proposed rule and take swift, smart action on behalf of all of our members.

We are already coordinating with hundreds of other concerned organizations across a broad spectrum, from small scientific societies to large defense and tech companies. As the national voice of the postdoctoral community, we will continue to fight for apolitical, clear, merit-based, and streamlined federal funding for science and research across all disciplines.

The NPA is responding strongly against a proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security that would end "duration of status" for J, F and other visa holders.

Your turn: respond to the draft rule here. Tell your own story. Feel free to use any of the NPA language. Comments due Monday, September 29.

Read the NPA's comments here.

Statement by Executive Director & CEO Thomas P. Kimbis on the Trump Administration’s Recent Proclamation of a Raise in New H-1B Visa Fees

Postdoctoral researchers - or postdocs - are highly-skilled early-career professionals who advance our economy and society through cutting-edge innovation across all disciplines. Thousands of international postdocs use H-1B visas to apply their world-class expertise across industry, academia, and other research institutions.

If implemented, the administration’s proclamation to impose a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas would create an enormous barrier for employers seeking to attract top talent from around the world. America’s competitors must be celebrating this radical policy position that lets them steal away extraordinary workers who would otherwise bring their skills to the United States.

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational nonprofit organization, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, that seeks to improve the postdoctoral experience by supporting a culture of inclusive connection. Founded in 2003, our membership is composed of more than 240 U.S. research institutions and 24,000 individual postdoctoral researchers (“postdocs”). Collectively, we represent the interests of the 70,000 postdocs training across the nation in science and research fields.

On behalf of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), executive director & CEO, Tom Kimbis, wrote a letter to the leaders of the appropriations committees from both parties in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate expressing concern about the impact on our entire postdoctoral community from proposed budget cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) for fiscal year 2026.

Although the NPA is a nonpartisan, non-lobbying organization, it is important to keep our elected leaders informed about the impact of proposed and current laws and regulations on our postdoctoral community.

Read the full letter here.

The events of the last two weeks in Washington have not only moved at a breakneck pace, but they have caused disruption to the research enterprise, including the work of many of our NPA member postdocs and institutions. The NPA is highly aware of this complex and confusing situation and sympathetic to our members trying to make progress in critical research benefiting Americans and the world across countless disciplines.

Although changes are expected at the start of any administration as new policies and personnel are put into place, recent events have caused great uncertainty for many within the postdoctoral community. I have heard from postdocs suddenly looking to transition out of academia or to leave the United States to continue their research. Likewise, some international postdocs have expressed strong fears of speaking up due to new or potential changes in immigration policies. Other postdocs in direct-pay federal fellowships are concerned about receiving their salaries– if you fall in this category, let the NPA know as soon as possible.

The challenges are real. The reactions are justified.

I encourage our postdoc members to lean into your strengths. Focus on what brings you joy. Reach out to friends, family and colleagues. Share your vulnerability. Give yourself grace. Tap into employer or community assistance resources. Remember you are part of a larger community. And rely on that resilience that has helped you reach the highest levels of scholarship.

The NPA stands with you. We are working hard to stay on top of the fast-changing landscape of executive orders and department and agency appointments and recommend that you also consult verifiable sources of information to stay informed. (Links provided below.) Some new orders impact federal research funding, immigration, and diversity policy, all important to our membership. We expect increased clarity in the implementation of these policies and understanding of their impacts in the weeks ahead.

We remain true to our values, including an unwavering commitment to inclusivity within the postdoctoral community as we celebrate Black History Month. Today, we step forward by releasing our 2025-2027 National Postdoctoral Association Strategic Plan containing a dozen strategies to drive our mission. We hope its energy and optimism creates new ways for you to work with the NPA and/or your home institution to promote change. We invite you to be a part of it.

The NPA will also continue to offer professional development and leadership opportunities, ways to engage with experts, platforms for you to connect and share thoughts with colleagues, roles to help amplify and address the needs of postdocs, and chances to express your opinions and raise your voices to policymakers through NPA’s advocacy efforts. You can connect in-person with your peers at our Annual Conference, join our committees, or reach out to the NPA with your thoughts, ideas or concerns.

The NPA is made up of people like you. We appreciate all that you do. Together, we will weather this uncertainty and any new challenges that lie ahead.

Thomas P. Kimbis
Executive Director & CEO
National Postdoctoral Association

Sample resources of information on recent federal policy:

AAAS/ScienceInsider
American Council on Education
COGR
Federal Register
National Science Foundation
White House

This summer, the NIH issued a request for information (RFI) on reimagining several aspects of the postdoctoral experience. The NPA, through the hard work of its Advocacy Committee, has issued a letter containing the elements of its response. Provide your own individual response to the NIH by October 23 using this link. Feel free to use the NPA response in formulating your own comments; the sections of the letter submitted through the RFI process are labeled as "Response." throughout the document.

The NPA filed comments with the Department of Labor regarding its proposed rule to increase the salary level below which an employee is eligible for overtime pay. The NPA supports the Biden Administration's proposed increase of exempt eligibility to $55,068 along with consistent and predictable increases to support postdocs while allowing our member institutions to adequately prepare for future actions.

Read the letter here.

The NPA formally supports a new bill in Congress that will demand federal agencies collect better data on financial conditions of postdocs and graduate students and help address them. We need your help!

It’s easy. Find your federal representative (in Congress) using your zip code on the top right of the page. Click on your representative’s website, find the contact link, and submit the text below, adjusting as you see fit. Make sure to insert the representative’s name at top and your name and contact information.

When you’re done, please send us a quick email with your contact information and the name of your representative to let us know you helped out.

Thanks to Ryan Reeves, Patricia Ferrer Castillo, and the Advocacy Committee (join us!).

Dear Representative [FILL IN LAST NAME],

[Insert ONE sentence about you – explaining where you work, your position and broad area of work– for example., “I am a postdoctoral scholar working at Clemson University on genetics research.”] There is a bill currently in Congress that may benefit me and fellow researchers in your district.

As your constituent, I am writing to ask you to co-sponsor H.R.4002, the Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance American Resilience and Competitiveness in Higher Education and Research (RESEARCHER) Act. The bipartisan goal is to ensure graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (“postdocs”) have the resources and financial stability necessary to further their careers and contribute to American innovation.

The U.S. workforce faces problems with financial instability due to increasing costs of healthcare, housing, transportation, food, and childcare, which disproportionately affect early-career researchers. According to a study from the National Postdoctoral Association, 94.8% of postdocs are negatively impacted by their salaries. Financial concerns and inequities discourage students from pursuing research careers, decreasing the US STEM workforce and its worldwide competitiveness.

The bipartisan RESEARCHER Act implements guidelines and government policies to be applied and monitored by federal agencies. It will help maintain a sustainable, diverse, and competitive scientific workforce where the U.S. continues to be a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology. It will also contribute to the contentment of researchers who should be treated with greater dignity.

Thank you for supporting H.R.4002.

Your Name
Mailing Address
Email

Today the NPA expressed its concerns on behalf of the greater postdoctoral community about the growing number of state laws restricting the rights of transgender and other LGBTQIA+ individuals. The NPA addressed its sentiments to the heads of the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), associations of the executive and legislative branches across the states. "Research thrives on the exchange of ideas," said Tom Kimbis, NPA executive director and CEO, "and that requires safe spaces for all of our postdocs and their families-- not just some." The NPA was joined by several ally organizations on the letter, while other individuals and entities plan to forward the letter along with a statement of their own support to their state elected officials (find yours here).

Read the letter here.

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) submitted formal comments to the National Institutes of Health regarding proposed changes to the peer review of Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) fellowship applications. The NPA supported the work of a current NIH working group in this area to increase inclusivity and reduce bias by reconsidering the NRSA application peer review content and process. For instance, the NPA supports removal of grades from the fellowship criteria. Read the letter here.

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) filed a formal response to the Request for Information (RFI) issued by the NIH entitled, Re-envisioning U.S. Postdoctoral Research Training and Career Progression within the Biomedical Research Enterprise. The NPA comments hit on a number of pressing issues that need to be addressed federally to advance the success of postdocs, including assistance in compensation and benefits, improved DEIA efforts, improved funding mechanisms, and more robust mentoring requirements. Read a letter containing the submitted comments here.

The NPA filed formal comments with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opposing an overnight increase of H-1B and O-1 visa fees. With the USCIS proposing to increase these visa fees by 65 to 130 percent, the NPA strongly encouraged more consideration of the impact on international postdocs training and working in the United States, who strengthen our nation through cutting-edge innovation, leadership and community outreach across all disciplines. Rather than a one-time, massive increase, the NPA suggested the self-funded USCIS phase in any increases over time. The NPA also argued to keep the current $10 fee for electronic registrations rather than the large jump to $215 proposed by USCIS. The NPA will continue to monitor this situation and weigh in on behalf of our members when opportunities arise. Read the full response here.