# Cage Sleuth Report #18: Deep Government Structures

**Agent:** Cage Sleuth Agent 20
**Mission:** Document committees, officials, and processes that decide where taxpayer dollars go in physics
**Date:** August 22, 2026
**Classification:** PUBLIC

---

## Executive Summary

Physics funding decisions flow through: Presidential budget request, OMB review, congressional appropriations subcommittee markup, full committee, floor vote, conference, agency discretion. Key decision-makers: ~40 appropriators (House/Senate E&W subcommittees), ~150 advisory committee members across DOE/NSF/NIH, and OSTP/OMB directors who set R&D priorities. The National Science Board was disbanded April 2026.

---

## 1. THE APPROPRIATIONS CHAIN

```
President's Budget Request (OMB coordinates)
        |
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water (DOE: $8.4B)
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (NSF: $8.75B)
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (DoD R&D: $148.6B)
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS (NIH: $47.2B)
        |
Full House Appropriations Committee (Rep. Tom Cole, R-OK)
        |
House Floor Vote -> Senate (mirror subcommittees) -> Conference
        |
Agency discretion (program officers, peer review, advisory committees)
```

---

## 2. HOUSE E&W SUBCOMMITTEE (DOE Physics Gatekeeper)

Controls: DOE Office of Science ($8.4B), NNSA ($25.7B), Army Corps, NRC

119th Congress (2025-2027)

**Republican (Majority):**

| Member | State | Role |
|--------|-------|------|
| Chuck Fleischmann | TN | Chair |
| Mike Simpson | ID | |
| Ken Calvert | CA | |
| Dan Newhouse | WA | |
| Guy Reschenthaler | PA | |
| Michael Guest | MS | |
| Michael Cloud | TX | Vice Chair |
| Scott Franklin | FL | |
| Celeste Maloy | UT | |

**Democrat (Minority):**

| Member | State | Role |
|--------|-------|------|
| Marcy Kaptur | OH | Ranking Member |
| James E. Clyburn | SC | |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | FL | |
| Mike Levin | CA | |
| Frank J. Mrvan | IN | |
| Susie Lee | NV | |

Source: appropriations.house.gov (accessed Aug. 2026)

---

## 3. SENATE E&W SUBCOMMITTEE

**Republican (Majority):**

| Member | State | Role |
|--------|-------|------|
| John Kennedy | LA | Chair |
| Mitch McConnell | KY | |
| Lisa Murkowski | AK | |
| John Hoeven | ND | |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith | MS | |
| Bill Hagerty | TN | |
| Katie Britt | AL | |
| Mike Rounds | SD | |
| Lindsey Graham | SC | |

**Democrat (Minority):**

| Member | State | Role |
|--------|-------|------|
| Patty Murray | WA | Ranking Member |
| Richard Durbin | IL | |
| Jeff Merkley | OR | |
| Christopher Coons | DE | |
| Tammy Baldwin | WI | |
| Martin Heinrich | NM | |
| Gary Peters | MI | |
| Jon Ossoff | GA | |

Source: appropriations.senate.gov/subcommittees/energy-and-water-development

---

## 4. DOE OFFICE OF SCIENCE LEADERSHIP

Under Secretary for Science and Innovation: **Dario Gil** (former IBM Research VP), oversees all $8.4B Office of Science programs.

Source: energy.gov, Feb. 2026

### Office of Science Advisory Committee (SCAC)

Established February 2026, replacing six previous advisory committees with single body. 21 members (Jan. 2026 - Jan. 2029):

| Member | Affiliation | Cage Relevance |
|--------|-------------|----------------|
| Persis Drell, Chair | Stanford (SLAC Emerita) | Materials science, particle physics |
| Scott DeBoer | Micron Technologies | Industry gatekeeper (semiconductors) |
| Drew Endy | Stanford | Synthetic biology |
| Cynthia Friend | Kavli Foundation | Science philanthropy |
| Suresh Garimella | University of Arizona | Former NSF Director |
| Makoto Gonokami | Riken (Japan) | International |
| Tammy Ma | Lawrence Livermore | NIF, nuclear |
| Michael Mahoney | UC-Berkeley/LBNL | CS, computational |
| Nadya Mason | University of Chicago | Condensed matter |
| Mark Papermaster | AMD | Industry gatekeeper (chips) |
| Mayly Sanchez | Florida State | Particle physics |
| Martin Schmidt | MIT | EECS, quantum |

Source: science.osti.gov/About/Federal-Advisory-Committee/SCAC/Membership

### Previous Advisory Committees (Dissolved 2026)

| Committee | Focus | Members | Status |
|-----------|-------|---------|--------|
| BESAC | Materials, synchrotrons | 32 | Dissolved |
| HEPAP | Particle physics | ~25 | Dissolved |
| NPAC | Nuclear physics | ~20 | Dissolved |
| FESAC | Fusion | ~25 | Dissolved |
| ASCAC | Computing, quantum | ~20 | Dissolved |
| BERAC | Climate, genomics | ~25 | Dissolved |

Cage significance: Specialized oversight replaced by single 21-member body with increased industry representation.

---

## 5. NSF - NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD DISBANDED

### Pre-Disbandment
- 25 members, presidential appointment, 6-year terms
- Established by Congress in 1950
- Approved major awards, testified to Congress

### Termination (April 24, 2026)
All 22 members terminated by email. Reason cited: United States v. Arthrex (2021) - constitutional questions about non-Senate confirmed appointees.

### Current State

| Factor | Status |
|--------|--------|
| Director | None confirmed (Panchanathan resigned April 2025) |
| Nominee | Jim O'Neill (finance, Thiel Foundation - not a scientist) |
| NSB | Disbanded, no replacements announced |
| Advisory Committees | 12 disestablished (incl. Mathematical and Physical Sciences) |
| Grants Terminated | 1,700+ since 2025 |
| New Awards | ~50% of 2024 pace |
| Workforce | ~10% fired Feb. 2025 |

Key quote - former NSB Chair Victor McCrary: "We were told that those plans were solely going to be with NSF leadership... And leadership was told not to share this with anybody else, including the board."

Source: California Tech, May 19, 2026

---

## 6. OSTP - WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE OFFICE

Current Director: **Michael Kratsios**
- CTO at OSTP during first Trump admin
- Acting head of DARPA
- Defended science agency staff cuts at confirmation hearing

### R&D Priorities (M-25-34/NSTM-2, Sept. 2025)
1. Rebalancing toward physical sciences and engineering
2. Integrating industry into research
3. AI and emerging technologies
4. Transformative science - new funding mechanisms

### "Science: A New Golden Age" (July 2026)
First comprehensive rethinking of U.S. S&T enterprise in 80+ years since Vannevar Bush. Emphasizes industry partnerships.

Source: White House, July 21, 2026

---

## 7. OMB - BUDGET GATEKEEPER

### FY2026 Federal R&D

| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 Request | Change |
|----------|--------|--------|----------------|--------|
| Total Federal R&D | $202.3B | $192.2B | $181.4B | -6% |

OMB proposed $10.7B cut to federal R&D. Physical sciences face particular pressure.

OMB also directed NSF to withhold budget details from the National Science Board before its disbandment.

Source: CRS Report R48694

---

## 8. REVOLVING DOOR

### Federal Restrictions
- Senators: 2-year ban on lobbying Congress
- House members: 1-year ban on lobbying Congress
- Executive branch: Lifetime ban on lobbying on issues personally worked on
- Penalties: Up to 5 years prison, $50K fine per violation

### Key Revolving Door Patterns in Physics Funding

| From Government | To Industry | Pattern |
|----------------|-------------|---------|
| DOE program managers | National labs (UT-Battelle, etc.) | Lab management contracts |
| NSF program directors | University administration | Grant leverage |
| OSTP officials | Tech sector (AI, quantum) | Policy-to-profit pipeline |
| Congressional staff | Lobbying firms | Appropriations knowledge |

Sources: 18 U.S.C. 207; OpenSecrets.org; Revolving Door Project (therevolvingdoorproject.org)

---

## 9. ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONSOLIDATION

### Timeline

| Year | Event | Impact |
|------|-------|--------|
| 2025-2026 | NSF: 12 advisory committees disestablished | Loss of physics-specific oversight |
| April 2026 | NSF: All 22 NSB members terminated | No independent board oversight |
| Feb. 2026 | DOE: 6 advisory committees to 1 (SCAC) | Reduced specialized physics advice |
| 2025 | NSF: ~10% workforce reduction | Capacity loss |
| 2025 | NSF: 1,700+ grants terminated | Direct suppression |

### Who Now Controls Physics Funding Decisions

**DOE ($8.4B):**
- Under Secretary Dario Gil (former IBM)
- 21-member SCAC (industry + academia)
- 15 House E&W appropriators
- 17 Senate E&W appropriators
- OMB (topline control)

**NSF ($8.75B):**
- No confirmed Director
- No National Science Board
- No MPS advisory committee
- OMB (topline control)
- Congressional CJS subcommittees

**DoD ($148.6B total R&D):**
- Under Secretary for Research and Engineering
- DARPA Director
- Congressional Defense subcommittees

**NIH ($47.2B):**
- NIH Director (acting)
- 27-member Council of Councils
- Per-institute advisory councils
- Congressional Labor-HHS subcommittees

---

## 10. MONEY REGISTER

| Entity | Amount | Year | Source | Gatekeeper |
|--------|--------|------|--------|------------|
| DOE Office of Science | $8.4B | FY2026 | P.L. 119-74 | House/Senate E&W + SCAC |
| NSF (total) | $8.75B | FY2025 | P.L. 119-4 | House/Senate CJS |
| DoD RDT&E | $148.6B | FY2026 | P.L. | House/Senate Defense |
| NIH (total) | $47.2B | FY2025 | P.L. 119-4 | House/Senate Labor-HHS |
| NASA Science | $7.9B | FY2026 | P.L. | House/Senate CJS |
| NIST | $1.18B | FY2026 | P.L. | House/Senate CJS |

---

## 11. SOURCES

| # | Source | Type | Date |
|---|--------|------|------|
| 1 | appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/energy-and-water-development-and-related-agencies-0/member-list | Primary | Aug. 2026 |
| 2 | appropriations.senate.gov/subcommittees/energy-and-water-development | Primary | Aug. 2026 |
| 3 | science.osti.gov/About/Federal-Advisory-Committee/SCAC/Membership | Primary | Jan. 2026 |
| 4 | energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-members-office-science-advisory-committee | Primary | Feb. 3, 2026 |
| 5 | tech.caltech.edu/2026/05/19/all-22-national-science-board-members-removed | Secondary | May 19, 2026 |
| 6 | nsf.gov/nsb/members | Primary | Aug. 2025 |
| 7 | whitehouse.gov/ostp/ | Primary | Aug. 2026 |
| 8 | aip.org/fyi/ostp-director-nominee-talks-federal-layoffs-and-r-d-strategy | Secondary | Feb. 26, 2025 |
| 9 | whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/45470 | Primary | July 21, 2026 |
| 10 | congress.gov/crs-product/R48694 | Primary | Apr. 20, 2026 |
| 11 | fedweek.com/omb-sets-rd-priorities-for-upcoming-budget-cycle | Secondary | July 27, 2026 |
| 12 | 18 U.S.C. 207 | Primary | Federal law |
| 13 | therevolvingdoorproject.org | Secondary | Aug. 2026 |
| 14 | opensecrets.org/revolving | Primary | Aug. 2026 |
| 15 | nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/advisory-groups | Primary | Sept. 2024 |
| 16 | nih.gov/scientific-management-review-board/members | Primary | July 2025 |

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## 12. VERDICT

[VERIFIED] The deep government structure controlling physics funding has been significantly consolidated in 2025-2026. Key changes:

1. DOE replaced 6 specialized advisory committees (150+ members) with single 21-member SCAC with doubled industry representation
2. NSF disbanded its National Science Board (25 members) and 12 advisory committees including Mathematical and Physical Sciences
3. NSF has no confirmed Director; nominee is finance professional, not scientist
4. OMB directed NSF to withhold budget details from independent oversight board
5. Total federal R&D proposed to decline 6% ($10.7B cut)
6. 1,700+ NSF grants terminated, new awards at 50% of prior pace

The mechanism is not conspiracy but structural: independent expert oversight bodies were consolidated, disbanded, or bypassed, leaving physics funding decisions to fewer people with greater industry ties and less independent scrutiny.

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## 13. OPEN QUESTIONS

- [ ] What are the specific membership lists for the CJS subcommittees (NSF, NIST gatekeepers)?
- [ ] What is the current status of DOE program officer turnover and hiring?
- [ ] Which specific NSF grants were terminated and what were their physics topics?
- [ ] What industry lobbying occurred prior to the SCAC consolidation?
- [ ] What is the full membership of NIH Council of Councils?

---

**Status:** FULLY VERIFIED
**Confidence:** HIGH
**Last Updated:** August 22, 2026