Congressional Leaders Outline Government Funding Strategy
On July 25, Republican Congressional leaders outlined a “minibus” funding strategy that would seek to avoid a government shutdown in the fall. Leaders are looking to combine up to nine of the twelve annual Congressional spending bills into various legislative packages to pass before October 1, the end of the fiscal year. Despite the Trump Administration’s initial budget request seeking cuts to many federal programs, Congressional Appropriators have largely rejected these calls and are set to potentially tee up a new high for research spending.
However, on July 29, President Trump threw a wrench into these plans, threatening to shut down the government over funding for his proposed border wall. Leaders had hoped to deal with the Department of Homeland Security funding bill during the lame duck session, to avoid a partisan fight before the midterms. It remains to be seen if Congressional Republicans will change strategy in response to the President.
H-1B Denials Increase under Trump Administration
In July, the National Foundation for American Policy released a report that found H-1B visa denials significantly increased during the 4th quarter of 2017, likely due to Trump administration policies. Specifically, the study found “the proportion of H-1B petitions denied for foreign-born professionals increased by 41% from the 3rd to the 4th quarter of FY 2017, rising from a denial rate of 15.9% in the 3rd quarter to 22.4% in the 4th quarter.” Research and immigration advocates are increasingly concerned that high-skilled workers and scientists will no longer look to take their skills to the United States. Read the report here.
House Leaves for Recess - Help Us Advocate for Biophysics
On July 27, the House of Representatives adjourned for its annual August recess. The recess provides lawmakers a chance to connect with their constituents and to campaign before the upcoming midterm election.
Will you help us call attention to biophysics and research funding while lawmakers are in your communities?
The BPS Advocacy Program will work with you to develop impactful opinion pieces and letters to the editor and set up meetings with your local Member of Congress and their staff. Sign up for our programs here or contact Sean at [email protected] for more information.
Join BPS in Washington! Rally for Medical Research and Golden Goose Award Ceremony on September 13
The Society is participating in the annual Rally for Medical Research fly-in on September 12-13 in Washington, D.C. This Capitol Hill Day event builds on the momentum established in 2013, and includes more than 300 national organizations coming together in support of medical research. The purpose of the Rally is to call on our nation's policymakers to make funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) a national priority and raise awareness about our membership’s research. Please email Sean at [email protected] to learn more.
The Seventh Annual Golden Goose Award Ceremony will take place on September 13 at the Library of Congress. The award seeks to highlight seemingly ood or obscure, federally-funded scientific research that has led to a major scientific breakthrough or positively impacted society. BPS is a sponsor of the award. Learn more here.
Kelvin Droegemeier Nominated as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
On July 31, the White House announced it had nominated Kelvin Droegemeier as Director of its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Droegemeier is the Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma and a Washington veteran. He spent 12 years on the National Science Board under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. OSTP has been without a director of nearly 600 days, the longest vacancy since the position was created in the 1970s. The science community has largely praised the nomination. "His years working on the National Science Board during the Bush and Obama Administrations...validate Droegemeier's ability work in [a] bipartisan fashion and across many parts of the [federal] government," Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Read more from the White House here.
National Academies Report: Open Science By Design
On July 17, the National Academy of Sciences released a report titled Open Science By Design: Realizing a Vision for 21st Century Research. The report calls for the global research enterprise to move toward an open science system that would ensure the free availability and usability of scholarly publications, research data, and methodologies. This information dissemination shift would lead to faster and more inclusive knowledge sharing and provide policymakers and the public better access to government-financed research. Yet, the report concedes scientific information is still mainly disseminated by journals and print media, and more work is to be done to ensure the information technology and data revolutions reach our field. Read the report’s key findings here.
NIH Delays Controversial Clinical Trial Policy
In September 2016, the NIH released new policies aimed to improve the accountability and transparency of clinical trials. However, fundamental brain and behavioral researchers have been pushing back, arguing that their research studies should not follow the same standards as studies testing specific treatments or drugs. Since the proposed policy’s debut, advocacy organizations and Members of Congress have been urging NIH to compromise. On July 20, 2018, the NIH announced it is delaying implementation of its new definition of clinical trials until September 2019. In the meantime, the NIH is adopting a policy of leniency and will work with researchers to ensure their proposals are properly reviewed. Read more from Science Magazine.
Senate Approves DOE Office of Science Reauthorization
On July 23, the Senate passed the Department of Energy (DOE) Research and Innovation Act, the first major piece of authorizing legislation for the Office of Science in eight years. This bill formally authorizes the Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, and other new initiatives, as well as endorses the strategic plans and research directions of all six Office of Science programs. Of note to our community, the bill advises DOE to “continue efforts that accelerate breakthroughs in the production of bio-mass based fuels” and “support systems biology and genomics approaches in understanding genetic and physiological pathways connected to photosynthetic mechanisms.” The House will not take up this bill until its returns from its August recess.
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