AAU President Barbara R. Snyder sent a letter urging Senate and House budget committee leaders to make bold investments in the health, security, prosperity, and future of our nation as they craft the FY22 budget. Emphasizing the critical role AAU member institutions played in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the significance of America’s leading research universities to the local and national economy, the letter urged lawmakers to take steps to improve college affordability and to renew the government-university partnership.
The letter specifically asked committee leaders to include provisions in the FY22 budget to double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000 and to increase funding for other federal student aid programs; to invest in scientific and research infrastructure to empower groundbreaking research discoveries and innovations; and to provide funding for federal research agencies consistent with the bipartisan Research Investment to Spark the Economy, or RISE, Act. “As our nation looks beyond COVID-19 and to a brighter future, we ask that you renew America’s crucial strategic investments in the programs and institutions that are helping pull our nation out of this pandemic,” the letter noted.