WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) is endorsing the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act,” which would authorize approximately $26 billion in federal funds to support America’s 560,000-strong research workforce in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and protect past investment in the research projects the pandemic interrupted.
“The Science Coalition has not historically endorsed specific legislation, but the stakes are simply too high. Without this funding, future innovations are hindered, and agencies are being forced to abandon critical projects or use future appropriations intended for new research to cover existing grants,” said TSC President and Director of Government Relations at Stony Brook University Lauren Brookmeyer. “These members of Congress, some of whom are TSC Champions of Science, should be commended for their continued commitment to the scientific enterprise. They understand that research has an important role to play in the nation’s economic recovery and can help mitigate future public health emergencies. We urge House leadership to recognize this pressing need and take the steps necessary to bring this bill to the floor without delay.”
The bipartisan effort is being led U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Fred Upton, R-Mich., Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, Frank Lucas, R-Okla., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio. Reps. Bernice Johnson, Eshoo, and Upton are all recipients of TSC’s Champion of Science Award.
For information on the cutting-edge research TSC institutions are conducting to combat COVID-19, visit our page here.
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About the Science Coalition
Established in 1994, the Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness.