WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the second appropriations package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, which includes funding for Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies, Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies:
“This spending bill reaffirms the House’s commitment to America’s researchers by approving a full year of appropriations for our federal research agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy Office of Science, and more. These agencies are integral partners with our nation’s colleges and universities, especially as researchers work at breakneck pace to combat COVID-19. The pandemic has underscored the value of these partnerships and the importance of federal investment in the very science that will lead to a treatment or vaccine and help the economy recover.
“The pandemic is not a short-term problem, and the appropriations process should reflect that reality. Short-term funding bills and continuing resolutions hinder innovation and create unpredictability for researchers who may already be concerned their projects will be left unfulfilled. We urge the Senate to prioritize timely, robust, and consistent investment in our research enterprise for the health of our nation, our STEM workforce, and our economy.”
The Science Coalition has also endorsed 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. As the House wraps up the FY21 appropriations process, TSC encourages House leadership to take the necessary steps to bring this bill to the floor – our nation’s research enterprise and our country’s economic recovery demand these critical investments.
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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.