Know the Issues: Make Your Voice Heard
05/14/2026: Science has long been the driving force behind National Science Foundation (NSF) priorities. Increasingly, however, pressures beyond scientific merit are shaping NSF—with serious implications for psychological science and its workforce.
- The SBE Directorate Faces Elimination. The Administration’s FY 2027 budget zeroes out NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), the primary federal funding source for psychological science research. Dismantling appears already underway outside Congressional authority. No new funding announcements have been issued, and there is no plan for how FY 2026 appropriations already allocated to SBE will be used.
- The National Science Board (NSB) Dismissed. On April 24, 2026, the President fired all members of the NSB—the independent, Congressionally mandated oversight body. Staggered terms prevent any single administration from introducing political bias into NSF oversight. That safeguard is gone.
- NSF has no confirmed Director. Combined with the NSB dismissal, NSF now lacks both executive leadership and independent oversight—a governance vacuum Congress never intended.
ACT NOW to let your federal lawmakers know that this kind of political interference with science is contrary to all that has contributed to scientific discovery and advancement in the United States. It will weaken national security and set back individual prosperity and well-being.
See here for a summary of these issues.
Your voice matters.
Contact your Representative and Senators to raise awareness about the impacts of these cuts and the need to strengthen our scientific infrastructure. Share how policy shifts and influences have disrupted your research and career. Don’t just voice your concerns—amplify the critical role of your psychological science in transforming the lives of everyday people.
Contact your elected officials, even if they do not support your message. It is important that they know how federal policy changes are influencing the people they were elected to represent.
How do I share my concerns?
Focus your communication on telling a story. Describe for them why funding psychological science is important to you and to your community. How does it personally impact your life—was your research grant just terminated? How does it impact the quality of your research—what problems are harder to solve without this data, and what does it mean for individuals in the community?
Share positive stories, too! Describe how psychological science research has improved the quality of life for individuals in your local community, how it has supported education, well-being, and public policy that improves everyday lives.
Things to remember:
The important message you are delivering is that you are personally impacted by policy A, B, or C.
Keep it simple, keep it short, keep it focused, keep it personal, keep it polite.
APS Science Policy Statements
How do I share my story with my Representative and Senators?
You can find contact information for your Representative and Senators by visiting the House.gov or Senate.gov website. Simply look for your Representative or Senators and click through to their website. From there, you can send an email or find their phone number to give them a call. You can also use the tool at the bottom of this page to help you find your Representative.
Representatives only care about messages from individuals who live in their district. Focus your energy on engaging your own members of Congress.
If you call…
Be prepared before you call. Jot down a few notes about what you want to say. Consider sharing your message with a friend or colleague who can help you make sure your message is clear and free of scientific jargon. Practice what you want to say a couple of times before calling, but not so much that you appear scripted.
Call the office and tell whoever answers that you are a constituent and a scientist who lives in city X. You are calling because you are concerned about issue Y.
You will likely talk to a junior aide, but you may also be transferred to a legislative affairs staffer who handles your policy issues.
Share your story and, importantly, remember to ask that the Representative/Senator act.
If you email…
Personal messages are always more influential than form letters! A sample message is below, but please change it to reflect your interests and voice.
Nearly all congressional offices will have a contact email or contact form easily discoverable on their website.
Craft your message and hit send. Again, be sure to focus on a single issue and highlight why this is important to you. Letters that tackle more than one topic are less impactful.
Remember: Keep it simple, keep it short, keep it focused, keep it personal, keep it polite.
Visit your Representative in their district.
Representatives and Senators often host virtual and in-person town hall meetings or other community events to talk with their constituents. You can reach out to a district office to inquire about opportunities to talk with your Representative or Senator when they are in your hometown.
Check back for more resources!
Find Your Representative
APS Members can log in to find your Representatives based on your address on file.
