FY 2025 Science Spending Bills Advance in House
Four science relevant spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2025 were marked up by their respective appropriations subcommittees in the House last week. These include the appropriations bills for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS); and Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies. The measures offer little if any increase to certain science agencies, while proposing major cuts to others.
Commerce-Justice-Science
The bill that funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was considered by the CJS subcommittee on June 26 and was favorably reported to the full appropriations committee, along party lines and without amendments.
CJS subcommittee Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY) noted that the $78.3 billion measure, which is roughly 2% below the FY 2024 spending level, "addresses China and its aggressive overreach by making considerable investments in American science agencies" and "will deliver the resources needed to guarantee the US remains the leader in science, technology and research," while also reducing spending.
The CJS bill proposes small budget increases relative to FY 2024 for NSF (+2%) and NASA (+1%), while NIST and NOAA are slated for extensive budget cuts. Notably, NSF received an 8% budget cut in FY 2024. As a result, its proposed funding level of $9.3 billion for FY 2025 is still well below its FY 2023 enacted budget of $9.9 billion. The subcommittee has proposed increasing NSF's research account by $470 million or 5% while shrinking its education account by $172 million or 15%.
NOAA fared better in FY 2024 when it received a nearly 2% increase in budget, but the agency faces a 10% cut in FY 2025 under the House proposal. Ranking Member Matt Cartwright (D-PA) voiced concerns about the proposed cuts to NOAA, calling the proposal "particularly troubling" as the agency "provides accurate forecasts of weather, including extreme weather" and "advances our scientific understanding of changes to the earth's climate and how they affect our economy."
NIST got a 10% funding cut in FY 2024 and is looking at another 3% reduction in FY 2025. NASA's science programs would receive level funding of $7.3 billion. And the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's budget would be slashed by 30% to $5.5 million.
Further details regarding each agency's proposed budget will become available closer to the full committee markup scheduled for July 9.
Labor-Health and Human Services
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would maintain a flat budget of $48 billion, face a substantial reorganization, and see a prohibition on "risky gain-of-function" research under the measure advanced by the LHHS subcommittee on June 27. The bill is set to be marked up by the full committee on July 10.
The bill reinforces a major restructuring plan released a few weeks ago by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to consolidate NIH's 27 institutes and centers into 15 institutes. The proposed reorganization aims to streamline operations and improve efficiency, though it has raised concerns within the scientific community about the potential loss of specialized research focus. The framework also proposes implementing a five-year term limit for institute directors, allowing them to serve a maximum of two terms. Additionally, it would introduce new oversight measures for grant recipients and give the NIH's parent agency the authority to suspend grants that pose national security risks, among various other proposals.
The recently created Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which currently operates as an independent agency within NIH, would be absorbed into a newly formed NIH institute along with other institutes. The budget for ARPA-H, which currently stands at $1.5 billion, would be slashed to $500 million under the LHHS bill. The remaining $1 billion would be reallocated across other NIH institutes. The bill would eliminate funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is currently soliciting feedback on the NIH reform framework, which can be submitted via email to NIHReform@mail.house.gov by August 16, 2024.
Interior-Environment
The Interior-Environment spending bill, which was advanced by its subcommittee on June 28, would fund the Department of the Interior at $14.7 billion, $42 million below FY 2024. Subcommittee Chair Mike Simpson (R-ID) called the measure "fiscally responsible," stating that it "reins in unnecessary federal spending" and "rejects President Biden's misguided regulatory agenda."
The bill would slash funding for the U.S. Geological Survey by 5.6%, the National Park Service by 6.3%, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by 8.4%, and the Bureau of Land Management by 8.4%. All four agencies also received funding cuts ranging from 3-5% in FY 2024.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (D-ME) expressed concerns about the 13 endangered species-related riders in the bill, arguing that they would "hinder efforts to save iconic species and apex predators, maintain healthy ecosystems that benefit us all, and clarify regulations for stakeholders that help our economy grow."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which saw its funding shrink by 10% in FY 2024, is facing another 20% cut under the House proposal. Overall, the agency is slated for $7.4 billion in FY 2025, with its science and technology account receiving $522 million, which is a 31% cut relative to FY 2024. "Climate change is a clear and present danger," remarked Pingree, calling the proposed cuts to EPA "irresponsible" and noting that the bill "completely disregards the reality of a warming planet, and ignores the need for us to do more not less."
The Smithsonian Institution would see its budget trimmed by 12% to $960 million in FY 2025, after receiving a nearly 5% cut in FY 2024.
Energy-Water
The Energy-Water subcommittee advanced their FY 2025 spending bill along party lines with deep cuts to clean energy programs. The measure includes just under $50 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), $325 million below the level enacted for FY 2024.
$8.4 billion is proposed for the DOE Office of Science, which translates to a 1.8% increase relative to FY 2024. The office received a similar level of increase (1.7%) last year. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) is slated to receive a $10 million or 2% cut to $450 million.
Notably, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would see its budget dramatically reduced by roughly $1.5 billion to $2 billion. "Let me be clear, these cuts will absolutely jeopardize innovation to achieve American energy independence and will hurt our competitiveness," remarked subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).
The bill is scheduled to be marked up by the full appropriations committee on July 9, along with the Interior-Environment and CJS bills.
Lawmakers Solicit Input on Next-Generation Cures Legislation
Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) are requesting input from stakeholders and health care advocates on what Congress can do to advance the next generation of treatments. The input will inform the framework for the 'Next-Generation Cures' bill, also known as Cures 3.0.
DeGette, along with former Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), successfully passed the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures) in 2016 under President Obama. Cures aimed to accelerate scientific understanding, spur innovation, and deliver new treatments to patients. DeGette also sponsored Cures 2.0, parts of which were enacted with the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
Building on the successes of Cures and Cures 2.0, DeGette and Bucshon now seek ideas for future legislation to enhance research infrastructure and patient access to treatments, including improvements to agencies like the National Institutes of Health.
In a letter to stakeholders, lawmakers specifically ask the following questions about the effectiveness of Cures 2.0 policies and needed reforms:
- Do the policies included in Cures 2.0 that have advanced through legislation or executive action meet the needs that the original Cures 2.0 bill aimed to address?
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What elements might be missing that are essential for further progress?
- What additional reforms, support mechanisms, or incentives are needed to enhance or improve the effectiveness of the steps already taken, including any structural reform to agencies, offices, or programs involved?
Feedback is requested via email to cures.rfi@mail.house.gov by August 2, 2024.
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Support Wildlife Corridors
A new bipartisan bill, introduced in the House by Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Don Beyer (D-VA), would boost support for wildlife migration corridors.
A wildlife corridor is a designated pathway that connects fragmented habitats, allowing wildlife to move safely between these areas. This includes wildlife crossings, which allow animals and humans to interact safely on roads. The "Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act" would establish an Interior Department program to help states, tribes, and regional partnerships conserve migration routes. It would also enhance mapping efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey. The bill does not specify funding amounts but authorizes "such sums as are necessary" annually up through fiscal 2030.
"Wildlife follow the path that has been bred and programmed into them over generations with no understanding of the distinctions between private and public or federal and state land," stated Zinke, who initiated a similar effort as Interior Secretary under the Trump Administration. "That's why collaboration and partnerships are so important when managing migratory species such as pronghorn, big horn, and mule deer."
Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA). Congress previously allocated $350 million for wildlife crossings pilot projects in the 2021 infrastructure bill.
NIH Requests Feedback on Draft Public Access Policy
On June 18, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its Draft Public Access Policy along with supplemental guidance documents for public comment.
The draft policy updates NIH's current policy, in effect since 2008, with the goal of fulfilling the White House's 2022 directive to ensure free, immediate, and equitable access to federally funded research. The so-called "Nelson memo" directed federal agencies to make publications and supporting data freely available and publicly accessible at the time of publication.
Public comments on the draft policy and the two supplemental guidance documents regarding government use license and rights and costs for publications are due by August 19.
AIBS Signs Letter Urging Congress to Robustly Fund Non-defense Discretionary Programs
AIBS was among 1,106 local, state, and national organizations that sent a letter calling on Congress to reject arbitrary funding levels for non-defense discretionary appropriations, and instead fully appropriate the necessary funds to keep pace with rising costs and keep poison pill policy riders out of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending package.
"Vital domestic and international appropriations are a small part of the federal budget--less than one-sixth--yet they fund a wide range of important services and investments that keep America strong now and in the future," the letter argued. "Cutting funding from the FY 2024 levels appropriated just three months ago will do little to reduce the national debt and federal deficit but will greatly jeopardize American competitiveness, security, economic strength, and services on which families and individuals rely."
Read the letter.
Deadline Approaching: 2024 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits
The American Institute of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2024 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.
Now in its 15th year, this national initiative is an opportunity for biologists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase the people, facilities, and equipment that are required to support and conduct scientific research. This initiative helps to put a face on science and to remind lawmakers that science is happening in their district and state.
The Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event enables scientists, graduate students, representatives of research facilities, and people affiliated with scientific collections to meet with their federal or state elected officials without traveling to Washington, DC. Participating scientists can meet with their elected officials at the local district office or may invite them to visit their research facility.
"I am grateful for the experience, which has enriched my professional development. I am particularly pleased to think that we started a conversation with Rep. Joyce Beatty's office that will continue in the future. I encourage everyone to reach out beyond their scientific community, which includes explaining your science to your district offices."
- Coralie Farinas, Graduate Student, Ohio State University
AIBS will schedule participants' meetings with lawmakers and will prepare participants through online training and one-on-one support. Meetings will take place mid-July through October, depending on the participant's schedule and their lawmaker's availability. Read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
This event is made possible by the American Institute of Biological Sciences, with the support of event sponsors American Society of Primatologists, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America, Florida International University Institute of Environment, Natural Science Collections Alliance, Organization of Biological Field Stations, Society for Preservation of Natural History Collections, and Society for the Study of Evolution.
Registration for participation is free, but required and closes on July 15, 2024. To learn more and register, visit io.aibs.org/cdv.
Last Chance to Register: Writing for Impact and Influence Course
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is once again offering its popular professional development program to help scientists and students hone their written communication skills to increase the power of their message.
Writing for Impact and Influence provides practical instruction and hands-on exercises that will improve the participant's general writing proficiency. The program will provide participants with the skills and tools needed to compose scientific press releases, blog posts, memoranda, and more, with a focus on the reader experience and the appropriate use of modern writing tools, such as ChatGPT.
Each product-oriented session will have an assignment (deadlines are flexible), with feedback from the instructor. The course is interactive, and participants are encouraged to ask questions and exchange ideas with the instructor and other participants. Each session is also recorded and shared with all participants to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Who Should Take the Course?
- Individuals interested in furthering their professional development by augmenting their writing skills.
- Graduate students and early-career professionals interested in increasing their marketability to employers.
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Individuals interested in more effectively informing and influencing segments of the public, supervisors, policymakers, reporters, organizational leaders, and others.
The course consists of six weekly 90-minute online modules conducted live and subsequently archived online for participant review. The course will begin on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, with subsequent course sessions held weekly on Wednesdays, through August 14. Individuals who actively participate in and complete the full course will receive a certificate recognizing that they have completed a nine-hour professional development course on business writing for scientists.
Register now.
Short Takes
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Join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) for the release of a new consensus study report from the Board on Science Education, Equity in K-12 STEM Education: Framing Decisions for the Future. The report explores the range of issues associated with equity in STEM education and potential steps toward more equitable experiences for students. The webinar is scheduled for 11:00 AM-12:00 PM ET on July 10, 2024. Register now.
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking multiple qualified candidates for up to five Program Director positions within the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU), Division of Undergraduate Education in Alexandria, VA. Applications are due by July 22, 2024. Learn more.
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Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for a chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience. The competition showcases biological research in its many forms and settings. The images help the public and policymakers better understand the value of biological research and education. The competition is sponsored by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in addition to the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Photographs entered into the competition must depict a person, such as a scientist, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time on September 30, 2024. Learn more.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from June 17 to 28, 2024.
Agriculture
Commerce
Environmental Protection Agency
Health and Human Services
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
