FABBS Joins Science CEOs to Call for Increases in Science Funding

February 16, 2018

On the heels of the budget deal reached last week in Congress, the CEOs of numerous scientific organizations temporarily celebrated, but recognized that the increase in the budget caps for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 would not necessarily translate into increases in science funding.

Early this week, Research America coordinated a letter among Science CEOs that thanked the House and Senate leadership (majority and minority), as well as the Chair and Ranking Members of the

National Science Board Briefs Congress on Science and Engineering Indicators

February 16, 2018

The National Science Board (NSB), which oversees NSF policies and serves as an independent advisory body to the President and Congress on science, released its Science and Engineering (S&E) Indicators 2018  report on January 18, 2018.  The S&E report is issued every two years, and provides a broad picture of how the United States compares with the global community on various S&E indicators.

This year’s report shows that the United States continues to be a

Congress and White House Agree to “Raise the Caps” and Fund the Government

February 16, 2018

In the early hours of February 9, Congress passed and the President into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (H.R. 1892).  The bill’s passage, which was preceded by a brief five-hour federal government shutdown, accomplished several important goals.  First, the bill extends current fiscal year (FY) 2018 funding through March 23, giving lawmakers six weeks to negotiate a final FY 2018 omnibus funding measure.  Second, it suspends the debt limit until March 2019. 

Science Societies Push for Science-Based Decision Making

January 9, 2018

There was a flurry of activity among science societies when it was first reported that the Administration had banned the use of seven words in budget documents by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency’s director, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, was quick to respond that no words were banned, and others at CDC characterized the effort as an attempt to ensure approval of their budget with a Republican Congress. Last week she also sent a letter