In Brief
Apply Now for 2020-2021 BPS Congressional Fellowship
Senate Passes Minibus, Then Hits Roadblock
BPS Advocates for FY20 Budget; Clock Ticks on Continuing Resolution (CR)
What Next: CRs, Impeachment and Potential Shutdowns on Horizon
Senate Budget Committee to Mark Up Process Bill
Science in the News
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Apply Now for 2020-2021 BPS Congressional FellowshipI
Interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of law-making that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works, and participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. The application deadline is December 20, 2019.
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Senate Passes Minibus, Then Hits Roadblock
On October 31, the Senate approved a four-bill minibus consisting of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Commerce, Justice, Science; Interior-Environment; Agriculture; and Transportation appropriations measures. There were no major science funding changes from the legislation that passed the Senate Appropriations Committee in late September. The Senate’s legislation would grant substantive increases for the National Science Foundation, but falls short of House recommendations for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Both chambers uniformly rejected the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to climate and environmental research at the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Despite this progress, the Senate failed to advance a second minibus, which contains the FY20 Defense and Labor-Health and Human Services measures — the latter of which funds the National Institutes of Health. Senate Democrats blocked the measure from coming to the floor amid a partisan standoff over spending bill allocations and funding for the administration’s proposed border wall. Meanwhile, President Trump says he will not commit to avoiding a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on November 21.
BPS Advocates for FY20 Budget; Clock Ticks on CR
Today marks fifteen days remaining under the current federal funding resolution. With the CR set to expire on November 21, Congress must decide whether they aim for a short term measure to take us to December or allow more time by extending the resolution until March.
BPS has joined others in the scientific community in urging Congress to end the stopgap measures and complete the FY20 appropriations process. Basic and biomedical research requires sustained, predictable funding – not band-aid approaches to a full budget.
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Join BPS' advocacy efforts by sending letters and tweets to Congress and let them know that CRs stop research efforts.
Send your message now!
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What Next: CRs, Impeachment and Potential Shutdowns on Horizon
Congressional Quarterly (CQ) outlines the landscape on impeachment should the President allow a government shut-down. With none of the spending bills passed, this shutdown would affect all aspects of the federal government funded with discretionary appropriations (as opposed to the partial shutdown experienced earlier this year). However, because impeachment is a Constitutional responsibility, Congress could carry on their work on the inquiry without violating the Antideficiency Act and the committee chairman and personal and leadership offices would have wide latitude to decide which staff is "essential".
Senate Budget Committee to Mark Up Process Bill
The Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday will mark up its budget process bill (S. 2765) introduced by Chairman Mike Enzi. The bill would switch Congress to two-year budget resolutions and incorporate a debt-to-GDP ratio. The bill has bipartisan support, with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Angus King (I-ME), and 10 other Republicans backing the measure.
Science in the News:
Time Magazine: The Director of the NIH Lays Out His Vision of the Future of Medical Science
New York Times: Scientists With Links to China May Be Stealing Biomedical Research, U.S. Says