President’s FY 2018 Budget Request Seeks Major Cuts to Science Funding
President Donald Trump submitted his budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018) on May 22, 2017. The budget cuts $54 billion from nondefense discretionary funding in order to spend more on defense and stay within the sequestration caps set by Congress as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011. Proposed cuts to science agencies include a $6.6 billion (20%) cut for the National Institutes of Health, a $820 million (11%) cut for the National Science Foundation, and a $919 million (17%) cut for the Department of Energy Office of Science. The Society has issued a statement and signed community congressional correspondence opposing the cuts. The Society has also asked its U.S. members to contact their congressional delegations and ask them to oppose the cuts and fund science research.
Majority of Senators Ask Appropriations Committee to Support NIH
On May 24, 57 Senators sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking appropriators to “maintain a strong commitment to funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)” in FY 2018. The letter was led by Senators Robert Casey (R-PA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), and was signed by 15 Republicans, 40 Democrats, and 2 Independents. It notes recent support provided to the NIH and states, “we must continue to invest in biomedical research that has the potential to save money in the future, improve the lives of Americans, and offer an economic return for our Nation.”
NIH Announces Appointments of Johnson and Wolinetz
NIH Director Francis Collins, announced the appointment of Alfred C. Johnson as NIH Deputy Director for Management and Carrie Wolinetz as the Acting Chief of Staff for NIH. Johnson has been serving as the NIH Acting Deputy Director for Management since May 2016 and has been the Director of the NIH Office of Research Services since 2006. Wolinetz, PhD, would assume the role as Acting Chief of Staff for NIH. Wolinetz is also the associate director for Science Policy at the NIH.
EPA Dismisses Half of its Science Advisors
Like most federal agencies with a research mission, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) comprised of outside experts whose purpose is to ensure the research EPA conducts and funds is rigorous and done with integrity. Appointees serve three year terms and are traditionally renewed for a second term. The EPA did not renew the terms of the advisors whose positions were expiring, surprising those individuals with their termination letters in early May. BOSC has received criticism from conservatives in the past for its role in creating too many federal regulations. EPA Director Scott Pruitt indicated that the administration would like to make its own appointments, rather than renews those made by the past administration.
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