APA/APASI Response Center
Protecting the integrity of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives
To all APA Members and Psychologists:
Recent and proposed policy changes are creating significant challenges for psychologists across research, education, and practice. These changes are affecting your work in multiple ways—from the elimination of training positions and restricted access to federal datasets, to frozen clinical positions and reduced funding. Not only are these policy shifts affecting your work, they are having an impact on broader societal issues. For example, rollbacks of diversity initiatives are impeding our advances in greater health equity.
These changes strike at the core of psychological science and practice, affecting not just your daily work but the fundamental principles that guide our discipline.
APA is committed to being a resource and support for you, our members, as you navigate these significant policy changes. We are closely monitoring developments and mobilizing our resources and relationships to protect the field and all those you serve through your work. We are here as your association to support you.
Ways You Can Help
Act Now: Stop Proposed Cuts at NIH
The administration's proposed cuts at NIH severely threaten scientific advancement, hindering our ability to develop treatments and improve health nationwide. These cuts jeopardize the well-being of communities who rely on this vital research. Your voice matters! Urge Congress to oppose these cuts and ensure that NIH continues to fully fund research. Contact your representatives today.
Action Alert: How Are Policy Changes Impacting You?
Rapidly shifting policy proposals threaten psychology practice, research, and training. We're fighting for you, but we need your help! Tell us how funding changes and policy shifts are affecting your work, education, research and ability to serve your community. Your stories are essential to help us advocate effectively for the profession and those we serve.
Educating Partners and the Media
We are in regular touch with our coalition partners, policymakers, and reporters to share resources. Sometimes we may speak out publicly, often we will leverage our relationships with key members of Congress and the executive branch, or educate reporters behind the scenes. If you feel you have expertise that might be needed, submit your information to our media referral database so APA staff can share your name with reporters as an expert.
Speak out in your community.
Join APA’s live advocacy update on February 25, 2025, at 7:00-8:15 p.m. ET, or watch the recording to learn about recent advocacy activities and get practical advice on how to navigate the policy landscape, speak up, and stay engaged at the federal, state and local levels.
Featured Updates
We are profoundly disturbed by the recent attacks on scientific integrity and science infrastructure, which threaten to undermine the very foundation of knowledge and progress upon which our society is built. These assaults, evident in efforts to suppress research findings, discredit scientific expertise, and dismantle essential scientific agencies, not only hinder our ability to address critical challenges but also erode public trust in the scientific process.
Per the federal court order issued on January 31, and based on the latest directives from federal agencies, federal funding should be flowing unimpeded. However, we are hearing reports that some grantees are still unable to access their funding and some agencies may still be reviewing grants for any language that contradicts the directives in the Executive Orders. Although the injunction applies to all federal funding, at this time we cannot be certain that the administration is applying it uniformly across all agencies.
Actions such as the federal hiring freeze, the elimination of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, and the withdrawal from groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) have far-reaching implications for psychological science and practice. APA is conducting thorough reviews of these and other changes and determining, on a case-by-case basis, how to respond most effectively.
Cabinet Nominations
We are urging policymakers to support nominees who demonstrate a strong commitment to public service, science-based policymaking, and the health and well-being of all Americans. We will continue to work with the Senate to assess these nominees based on their qualifications, adherence to these principles, and their commitment to integrity and transparency.
Featured Updates
APA and APA Services Inc. are actively disseminating information with our community as developments unfold in the new presidential administration, but because things are evolving rapidly, information provided here or in other communications may change quickly.
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