Scientists sue over planned closure of NSF research directorate

The lawsuit was filed Monday in the District of Massachusetts by the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society, and researchers Jenna Croteau of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Gregg Sparkman of Boston College. Democracy Forward filed the case on their behalf.

The complaint says the administration proposed cutting the directorate’s funding in its 2026 budget, describing the fields as “woke,” but Congress rejected that proposal. A report accompanying NSF’s January 2026 appropriation directed the agency not to reduce SBE’s budget by more than 5%, according to the filing.

On April 3, NSF leadership announced it would “close-out” the directorate in fiscal year 2027. The complaint argues the decision was made without a director and without consulting the National Science Board, which it says Congress required for such decisions. Since the announcement, NSF has stopped offering funding opportunities for basic SBE research, released scientists assigned to the directorate by universities and reassigned nearly all its permanent staff, the filing says.

The coalition argues SBE research has contributed to advances ranging from kidney-donor matching and economic policy to search-engine models, and has helped address opioid addiction, infectious diseases and security threats. FABBS executive director Juliane Baron called the proposed closure “a crushing blow to the behavioral and brain sciences.” Democracy Forward president and CEO Skye Perryman said the decision was unlawful and lacked a public explanation.

Society leaders also warned that cutting support could harm research and the scientific workforce as artificial intelligence reshapes society. SANS president Jennifer Kubota said research on the brain and social behavior is relevant to challenges including isolation and polarization, while SESP executive officer Steven J. Stroessner said federal support has helped inform education and public policy.