House Appropriations Chair Proposes Significant Spending Cuts for FY 2025
House Republican appropriators are planning to implement across-the-board cuts to nondefense funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025, particularly targeting energy, climate, and environmental programs.
On May 16, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) announced an "aggressive" push to quickly draft FY 2025 appropriations bills that adhere to the spending caps set by last year's debt ceiling agreement. Under the Republican plan, defense spending is set to increase by 1%, but nondefense funding will see a 6% cut in order to stay below the spending limits established by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The cuts to nondefense spending are not evenly distributed among the 12 appropriations subcommittees, with some such as the one for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, which funds the National Institutes of Health, receiving substantial cuts of 10-11%. Allocations for some of the other science related subcommittees are as follows:
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Commerce-Justice-Science, which funds the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, would receive $80.3 billion, a $1.5 billion (or 2%) cut compared to FY 2024.
- Interior-Environment, which funds the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Smithsonian Institution would receive $37 billion (-$4.3 billion or 10%).
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Energy-Water, which funds the Department of Energy, would get $59.2 billion, including $25 billion in nondefense and $34.2 billion in defense spending. The total is $1 billion more than FY 2024, but includes a slight decrease in nondefense spending.
- Agriculture, which funds the Agricultural Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, would receive $25.9 billion (-$355 million).
Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) criticized the plan, labeling it as a repeat of last year's "messy, chaotic, harmful" process. She called for reconsideration of the proposed funding levels and advocated for a 1% increase in both defense and nondefense spending, a sentiment echoed by Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA).
A group of science coalitions, including the Coalition for National Science Funding, of which AIBS is a member, recently sent a letter to appropriators calling for the highest possible allocation for the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee in FY 2025, noting that in FY 2024 this subcommittee "received a significant cut to its budget allocation, markedly more than other subcommittee allocations."
Eager to prevent delays, Republicans have scheduled a rapid series of bill markups over the next few weeks with the first one taking place tomorrow. The Agriculture and Commerce-Justice-Science markups are scheduled for June 11 and 12 respectively, with the Interior-Environment, Labor-Health and Human Services, and Energy-Water markups scheduled for the week of June 24.
White House Report Calls for Sustained Investment in Federal R&D Infrastructure
The White House recently released a report from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) highlighting the critical state of U.S. federal research and development (R&D) infrastructure.
The report titled, U.S. Federal Research and Development Infrastructure: A Foundation for the Nation's Global Scientific Leadership and Economic and National Security, identifies deficiencies in research facilities and instrumentation and suggests practices for improvement without additional appropriations. According to the report, outdated infrastructure across the federal government threatens U.S. leadership in R&D and impedes technology breakthroughs.
The report identifies four main trends affecting federal research infrastructure: aging facilities, cascading impacts from substandard infrastructure, widening global science and technology gaps, and challenges in recruiting top talent. To address these issues, it recommends strategic planning, identifying gaps and long-term infrastructure needs, benchmarking against international R&D infrastructure, and sharing strategies among agencies.
The interagency assessment finds that that many facilities are rated as being in "very poor condition," and that old and "inadequate" infrastructure at the federal level is responsible for agencies' inability to "meet their current missions." Several facilities, designed in the 1950s and beyond their 40-50-year lifespan, are now in poor or critical condition. Notably, nearly 40% of Department of Energy facilities have been rated as substandard, over 60% of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's square footage is in "poor to critical" condition, and 75% of National Aeronautics and Space Administration facilities are beyond their designed lifespan. The report attributes these problems to decades of underfunding and maintenance neglect.
The report underscores the need for sustained investment to maintain the U.S.'s competitive edge in science and technology, warning that without action, deferred maintenance costs will rise, and the U.S. could fall behind international competitors like China.
House Republicans Release Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA) unveiled a five-year farm bill last week, sparking contention with Democrats over conservation and nutrition programs. The $1.5 trillion measure incorporates numerous bipartisan policies but diverges sharply on key issues such as climate-smart farming.
The farm bill, passed by Congress every five years, is a legislative package that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy. The previous farm bill from 2018 expired last September, but Congress extended it for one year.
The draft bill from Thompson aims to rescind the Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) focus on climate-focused farming practices and reallocate $14 billion in unused conservation funds from IRA into the farm bill's conservation programs. The bill is set for committee markup on May 23.
Despite borrowing elements from Democrat-sponsored bills, such as increased funding for specialty crop research, augmented disaster reimbursement rates to farmers, and reauthorization of the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, the bill's focus on removing climate mandates remains a sticking point. Environmental groups also oppose this shift, citing the urgent need to address climate change impacts on agriculture. Democrats are also against proposed changes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's low-income nutrition assistance program.
The House bill, which promises to be budget-neutral, contrasts with Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow's (D-MI) framework released earlier this month, which maintains the climate focus of the IRA funds. As Thompson's draft progresses, it faces both policy debates and fiscal scrutiny, with the aim of passing a comprehensive farm bill amidst an increasingly polarized political landscape.
White House Announces New Guidance on Risky Pathogen Research
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has released long-awaited implementation guidance on the U.S. government policy for oversight of dual-use research of concern (DURC) and pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential.
The new government-wide policy tightens federal oversight on gain-of-function (GOF) and dual-use research, expanding the scope of federally supported research requiring enhanced scrutiny. Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over U.S.-funded research in Wuhan, the rules aim to ensure safer practices for manipulating viruses that could potentially cause pandemics or be used as bioweapons.
"NIH is encouraged that responsible science and vigorous oversight can evolve in tandem," stated National Institutes of Health Director Monica Bertagnolli. "This policy ushers in a new era of oversight that will support the nation's ability to be prepared to counter biological threats, enhance pandemic preparedness, and achieve global health security."
The revised policies will take effect in May 2025, replacing decade-old regulations. Rules for DURC, named Category 1 research, now extend oversight to all 68 'select agents' identified in the U.S. government list of dangerous human, animal, and plant pathogens and toxins. This research will be subject to agency-level review. GOF research, now termed Category 2 research, will cover more pathogens, including those that could become a pathogen with enhanced pandemic potential when manipulated in the lab. Category 2 research will be subject to department-level review.
Researchers and institutions will initially determine if studies fall under the new categories, with detailed guidance provided for conducting reviews. The policy seeks to balance rigorous oversight with minimizing disruptions to virology research. However, some critics argue that the rules are overly complex and may be prone to misinterpretation, potentially hindering effective regulation.
AIBS Submits Testimony in Support of FY 2025 Funding for NSF
AIBS has provided testimony to the House Appropriations Committee regarding fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding for the National Science Foundation.
The testimony reads, in part: "Biological research is in our national interest. Increasing our knowledge of how genes, cells, tissues, organisms, and ecosystems function is vitally important to efforts to improve the human condition. Food security, medicine and public health, national security, economic growth, and sound environmental management are informed by the biological sciences. The knowledge gained from NSF-funded research contributes to the development of new research tools and industries."
AIBS urged Congress to provide NSF with at least $11.9 billion in FY 2025, arguing that this level of funding is "necessary to undo the harmful effects of the slow growth in research funding in recent years that has hurt America's research productivity." Citing the 8% funding cut the agency received last year, AIBS noted that the FY 2024 allocation "ignores the CHIPS and Science Act, which demonstrated bipartisan commitment to our nation's scientific and technological enterprise and provided an exciting framework for growing federal investments in research." The testimony urges Congress to follow through on that commitment by funding NSF as close as possible to the levels authorized by the law.
Read the testimony.
AIBS Provides FY 2025 Funding Testimony for Smithsonian Institution, USGS, USFWS, and EPA
AIBS has provided testimony to the House Appropriations Committee regarding fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding for biological research programs within the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The testimony reads, in part: "We encourage Congress to provide additional funding to the Smithsonian Institution in FY 2025, including at least $60 million to the National Museum of Natural History with new funding to support scientific and curatorial work. We urge Congress to provide the USGS with $1.85 billion in FY 2025, with at least $395 million for its Ecosystems Mission Area. We further request that Science Applications within USFWS be provided at least $55.5 million in FY 2025. Lastly, we request that Congress provide EPA Science and Technology with at least $876 million in FY 2025."
Robust federal investments in scientific research and monitoring that improves our understanding of biological diversity and ecosystem function must be a priority, urged AIBS, noting that the agencies funded by this appropriations bill are centrally involved in conducting, supporting, and using this scientific research.
Read the testimony.
STEMM Opportunity Alliance Unveils National Strategy at White House Summit
On May 1, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) released a national strategic plan to enhance science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education and workforce in the United States.
The stated goal of the national strategy is "to help 20 million people from historically excluded and marginalized communities enter, contribute to, and thrive in STEMM fields." It outlines a broad approach for building a STEMM workforce that expands opportunities and reflects the diversity of the nation by 2050 and identifies key progress metrics and intended goals.
The White House also released a factsheet listing shared commitments and actions by members of the SOA, which is a national coalition of more than 200 partners, including AIBS, who are "committed to working towards a STEMM ecosystem rooted in equity, inclusion, and scientific excellence to power progress, innovation and prosperity for all by 2050."
The plan was announced at the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence: Propelling Progress and Prosperity by 2050 (watch the recording). More than 400 people attended the summit in person, and many more joined the event's livestream. In person attendees discussed existing initiatives, actions, and needed partnerships to support the plan's five pillars:
- Engagement: Nurturing Curiosity in Every Child
- Inspiration: Developing Skilled and Diverse Educators
- Discovery: Creating Opportunity for All in Higher Education
- Innovation: Leveraging Diverse Minds in R&D
- Opportunity: Ensuring All Workers Thrive
The SOA now plans to focus on aligned actions to implement the national strategy, including holding a series of pillar-focused convenings across the country.
Increase Your Career Opportunities: 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.
Enter the 14th Annual Faces of Biology Photo Contest
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, in a personal way, 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).
"Photography is an effective tool to help communicate the process of scientific research," said Scott Glisson, CEO of AIBS. "This contest provides a visual forum for expression, inspiration, and technical skill that can have a positive impact on how the public views research and science."
The theme of the contest is "Faces of Biology." Photographs entered into the competition must depict a person, such as a scientist, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere.
The winning photos from the 2023 contest will be featured in the April 2024 issue of BioScience.
Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2024. For more information or to enter the contest, visit our website.
Short Takes
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Join the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate on Tuesday, May 21, at 3:00-4:00 pm ET for a Virtual Office Hour where program directors will present on the BIO Research Experience for Undergraduates Sites (REU Sites) and International Research Experiences for Students (IRES). Content will include details of these solicitations and information on how to write proposals for these opportunities. Register here.
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are seeking public comment on a draft glossary of clinical research terms related to innovative clinical trial design, including studies using real world data to generate real world evidence. The draft glossary is intended to facilitate communication within the clinical research community by helping establish a common vocabulary to characterize clinical research more uniformly. Comments will be accepted until until June 24, 2024.
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NSF and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently co-hosted a webinar to discuss NSF's new graduate student mentoring requirements for grants submitted on or after May 22, 2024. The webinar provided guidance to assist principal investigators in responding to NSF's updated guidelines on graduate student mentoring plans and individual development plans for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The new requirements are outlined in NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. Watch the webinar recording.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from May 6 to 17, 2024.
Agriculture
Commerce
Environmental Protection Agency
Health and Human Services
Interior
National Science Foundation
State
