WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) today issued the following statement after Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to provide stopgap funding for the federal government, including key research agencies, through January 19 and February 2:
“While Congress should be commended for working on a bipartisan basis to push back another threat of a government shutdown, this stop-and-go pace of funding is unsustainable. In the absence of a final appropriations package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, research agencies and their university partners are stuck in a holding pattern. For decades, the United States has been the global leader in innovation; however, with competitors ramping up their own investments in critical 21st-century technologies, we cannot afford for vital American research to be caught in limbo.
“With the prospect of across-the-board spending cuts taking effect on April 1, Congress must negotiate a spending agreement that both provides robust funding for fundamental science and fosters a cutting-edge research ecosystem.”
A recent nationwide poll conducted by TSC found the American public overwhelmingly supports increased federal investment in fundamental research, and a majority of voters believe scientific investment should increase annually.
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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.