In Brief
Rep. Tom Cole Secures Appropriations Gavel
For the past five years Texas Rep. Kay Granger (R) has served as both as Ranking Member and then Chair of the most powerful committee in the House, Appropriations. Granger, as she prepared to end her time in Congress, announced that she wished to step down as Chair with all due expediency at the end of March; her final term will end in December of this year.
While there was some jockeying for position to replace Granger, Transportation and HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) quickly emerged as the presumptive replacement. This was confirmed in early April and Cole was given the gavel to begin what is already preparing to be a difficult fight for fiscal year (FY) 2025. From a science funding perspective, Chairman Cole is the best possible outcome to replace Granger; he actively supports scientific research funding and a willingness to work in a bipartisan manner.
National Security Spending Package Passes; Includes Science R&D
President Joe Biden signed into law supplementary funding bills last week that contained approximately $61 billion in support for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $8 billion for security initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region. A small portion of the funds are for science and technology-related initiatives. The Ukraine bill includes $98 million for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to procure equipment for producing critical isotopes that were previously sourced from Russia. It also contains $143 million for nuclear nonproliferation efforts by DOE and $632 million for research, development, test, and evaluation projects at the Department of Defense.
PCAST Approves Plan for AI Uses in Science
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology met Tuesday to approve a report on the potential for artificial intelligence tools to accelerate the progress of science. President Joe Biden requested the report in his October executive order on AI, which instructed PCAST to study the potential of AI to address “major societal and global challenges.” He also asked for the report to identify “issues that may hinder the effective use of AI in research and practices needed to ensure that AI is used responsibly for research.”