Opposing the Politicization of Research Funding

Federal Research Grants Under Extreme Political Threats

The Trump-appointed head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing to shift decision making for federal research grant funding out of the hands of experts and into those of political appointees with ideological agendas. If adopted, the proposed OMB rules would undermine the role of peer review, increase political influence over grant-making decisions, and place new restrictions on research priorities, threatening academic freedom, scientific integrity, and innovation across higher education. But we have time to stop the change.

AFT/AAUP National Meeting Today, Thursday, June 18, 04:00 PM on Zoom

Threats to Research, Changes to OMB Rules, and How We Fight Back

Click here to register to join a meeting this afternoon of AFT and AAUP leaders and science experts to learn what these proposed changes mean for our members, colleges and universities, researchers, students, and the future of American science. Presenters in the meeting will walk through the process of submitting comments on the proposed rules, strategize next steps, and share how every member can be part of this fightback. When prompted on the Zoom registration, write “Professional Staff Congress/CUNY” for Affiliate/Local/Chapter Name and 2334 for the number.

Submit Your Comment Opposing the Politicization of Research Funding

PSC members who value scientific and social research can review the proposed rule change with this AAUP/AFT explainer and submit their unique public comments opposing the politicization of research funding via this tool set up by Stand Up for Science and our affiliates, AFT and AAUP. Write Professional Staff Congress/CUNY in the field labeled “Affiliated Organization.” Comments can be submitted until July 13. Each must be a unique submission.

Defend Research Funding Working Group Meeting, July 1, 5:30PM

Register at this link to attend the next full meeting of the union’s Defend Research Funding Working Group on Zoom on Wednesday, July 1 at 5:30PM. We’ll hear colleagues share the comments they have already submitted to the OMB and discuss plans for member engagement, public education, and political advocacy in defense of research.

Our Team, Our Year: Rally with Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani

Doors open at 4 PM | Program starts at 5 PM

Join fellow PSC members and New Yorkers at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn (1027 Flatbush Avenue) for a Get Out the Vote rally featuring Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders!

Together with Mayor Mamdani and Senator Sanders, we’ll rally for our endorsed candidate, CUNY champion and Former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. Brad has fought to expand our labor rights, picketed for fair contracts, and will continue to stand in solidarity with workers. Click here to RSVP to be part of the PSC contingent.

PSC Endorsements for the June 23rd Primary

Early voting in the primary elections continues through this weekend, and Primary Day is Tuesday, June 23rd! Make sure you have a plan to vote.

Our state-level (NYSUT) and local member-led endorsement process has resulted in PSC support for candidates in two key congressional races – Brad Lander in NY-10 and Alex Bores in NY-12 – along with 21 state legislative races. Please take a moment to review the list here, and make a plan to vote for our endorsed candidates.

Members who wish to volunteer to help get out the vote for PSC-supported candidates can contact Sam Lewis at [email protected].

Report from the 2026 Biennial AAUP National Convention

Building wall-to-wall worker power throughout the academy and defending higher education and our democracy from authoritarian attacks were the themes of the 2026 American Association of University Professors Higher Ed Summit and Biennial Convention held this past weekend, June 10–14, in Chicago. PSC leaders and delegates to the AAUP cast votes in favor of an important package of resolutions that will define for AAUP affiliates “how we organize, what we fight for, and how we act—on our campuses, across the sector, and in the broader struggle for democracy and the public good.”

PSC President James Davis and Nivedita Majumdar from the John Jay chapter spoke at a plenary session, Building Worker Power in Higher Education. Davis also joined Victoria Chevalier from the Medgar Evers chapter to facilitate the session on Shared Governance and Collective Bargaining. Roxanne Shirazi from the Graduate Center was elected to a four-year term on the AAUP National Council representing Region 4. (Read more about Roxanne Shirazi’s election in the Clarion article linked below.)

Childcare Subsidy Info Session for PSC Members

PSC members with moderate incomes may be eligible for a subsidized child care benefit that is provided through the Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Scholarship Program. This funding can be used to help pay for various types of child care providers and can save parents thousands of dollars per year per child.

The scholarship program, developed by New York Union Child Care Coalition, a committee of our union affiliate, the NYC Central Labor Council (NYCLC), aims to make quality child care more affordable for families in New York City with children up to 13 years of age. It provides assistance to families not eligible for other types of child care assistance including children whose immigration status makes them ineligible for federally-funded subsidized child care, episodic workers, and working parents with incomes above the current subsidy eligibility thresholds.

Parents must be working, live in New York City, and meet income restrictions (e.g. under $132,000 for a family of four).

To learn more about the scholarship, you can read this fact sheet and fill out a pre-screening form. PSC members can also attend an online information session hosted by the PSC at 6PM, Monday, June 22nd. Register here for the Zoom meeting.

NYC Council Hearing on Racial Equity at CUNY

On Wednesday, June 17, the City Council’s Higher Education Committee held an oversight hearing examining racial equity at CUNY. Led by Chairperson Rita Joseph, the committee heard testimony and asked questions of Alicia Alvero, executive vice chancellor and university provost of CUNY, and Larry D. Johnson Jr., president of Bronx Community College. Testimony was also presented by representatives of the NYC Commission of Racial Equity, the University Faculty Senate, and the CUNY Association of Black Faculty and Staff, including the association’s co-chair, Rulisa Galloway-Perry, who also co-chairs the PSC’s cross-campus HEO chapter. PSC Treasurer Felicia Wharton testified as well, arguing, among other things, that CUNY’s stagnation in Black faculty representation is caused by uncompetitive salaries that leave the university “frequently unable to compete to attract and retain Black and Brown faculty.” Click here to read Wharton’s testimony. Video of the hearing is linked on this page of the City Council website.

No Court Support Friday June 19 or Friday July 3

Next Online Court Support Training, July 13th

All U.S. federal immigration courts are closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth, and on Friday, July 3, for the July 4th holiday. So there will be no PSC court support those mornings. Weekly court support will continue other Friday mornings throughout the summer.

The next Zoom training for PSC court support is Monday, July 13 at 6:30PM. Register here for the Zoom meeting link.

Labor Unions to Rally Outside Delaney Hall ICE Facility

Sunday, June 21, Father’s Day, 10 AM-12PM

Union members and community activists with the Labor Eyes on ICE alliance will rally this Sunday outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center to protest the facility’s inhumane conditions and demand an end to the Trump administration’s cruel policy of mass deportation and immigrant persecution. The protest will be held on Father’s Day to also show solidarity with the imprisoned immigrants locked inside and with the family members who are desperate to see their loved ones come home. The PSC is part of Labor Eyes On ICE, a coalition of labor unions that supports the complete abolition of ICE, freedom for everyone currently being held in immigrant detention, the closing of all immigrant detention centers, and an end to mass incarceration. The alliance has held monthly rallies at Delaney Hall since June of 2025 in solidarity with those held inside the immigration camp run by the for-profit private prison corporation GEO Group.

If you are interested in attending the rally outside Delaney Hall on Father’s Day morning, please email Geoff Johnson of the Immigrant Solidarity Working Group, College of Staten Island, at [email protected].

Clarion has transitioned to a fully digital format. With online-only publishing, we’ll release new content more often, no longer tied to monthly updates, and continue expanding our newsletter with deeper coverage and updates.