In Brief
Annual Meeting: All About ARPA-H: Exploring Opportunities at the New Agency
Join us on Sunday February 19, from 2:30 to 4:00pm for a panel on the inaugural year of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Join the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) as we learn more about the fledgling high-risk, high-reward research agency, how the structure will continue to form, exploring what opportunities exist and how does that fit into the larger research funding sources available to biophysicists.
Speakers:
- Renee Wegrzyn, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Invited
Moderator:
- Eric Sundberg, Emory University
Annual Meeting: Envisioning the Future of Biophysical Postdoctoral Training
Postdoctoral researchers represent a major portion of the academic research work force. While the position was originally intended as a few years of post-graduate training prior to becoming an independent investigator, it has since evolved into an often-long-term position with uncertain outcomes. Not only has this been detrimental to postdocs themselves, but this has led to the development of a host of other systemic issues throughout academic research. Join the Public Affairs Committee as we host a discussion to about the future of a keystone position in biophysics research. Join PAC Monday, February 20, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM for an in-depth panel discussion.
Speakers:
- Dorothy Beckett, Director, Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB), NIGMS
- Melanie Cocco, University of California Irvine
- Devasena Ponnalagu, Ohio State University
- Shanna Hamilton, Ohio State University
Moderator:
- Michael Rudokas, Yale University
Committee Assignments Are Made as Debt Ceiling Battle Looms
House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) officially announced the chairs of the 12 subcommittees for the 118th Congress. Heading up Labor, Health and Human Services, Education is Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) for Commerce, Justice, Science. Agriculture, Rural Development, Food, and Drug Administration will be led by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Energy and Water Development by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs by Rep. John Carter (R-TX).
According to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, an agreement on the ratios between Republicans and Democrats on the various committees will also be completed before the end of this month. For a top committee assignment such as Appropriations, it grows by one more seat for each party resulting in 34 Republicans and 27 Democrats.
Given the concessions McCarthy made to conservatives to obtain his position, the annual funding bills are expected to be difficult to complete by the September 30 deadline. Advocates are already bracing for continuing resolutions (CRs)—even a possible yearlong CR.
House Revisits Reaganomics in Effort to Balance Budget
As we mentioned yesterday, some House Republicans are contemplating attempting to pass a clean debt limit suspension until September 30 to try and put more pressure on Senate Democrats and the White House to cut spending in FY24. This would allow Congress to tie the debt limit to discretionary spending cuts rather than having to fight months before the appropriations deadline. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) sees a debt ceiling deal within reach and claims that Republicans will compromise hopefully in time to avoid more economic turmoil. Arrington plans to emulate President Ronald Raegan's leadership style (que trickle-down economics) as he will produce a fiscal plan in March that attempts to unite the GOP and act as the party's marker in negotiations over raising the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling to prevent a US default later this year. He also plans to cut $130 billion from the $170 trillion discretionary budget next year, which could include defense spending. Arrington also has a long-term goal of balancing the federal budget within 10 years, which will need a bipartisan deal to accomplish. House Democrats, meanwhile, are asking Republicans to put forward their plans for spending cuts as an opening bid for negotiations, hoping to spark public outcry.