The Energy Sciences Coalition, of which AAU is a member, and Democratic members of the House Science Committee sent letters to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, and Office of Science and Technology Policy Acting Director Alondra Nelson urging them to develop a robust funding proposal for the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY24 budget. ESC specifically requested $9.5 billion for the DOE Office of Science, which is consistent with the recently signed CHIPS and Science Act. “It is imperative that we meet this historical moment with transformative investments in science and innovation, and that process begins with the President’s Budget Request,” the House Science Committee’s letter noted.
Both letters emphasized the unique nature of the Office of Science, which is the largest DOE research agency and supports a network of 17 national laboratories. Robust FY24 funding, ESC noted, would help the Office of Science implement new research initiatives authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act, develop new energy and climate mitigation technologies, expand the workforce and its education programs, upgrade scientific user facilities and more. “New investments in fundamental research are needed to stay ahead of international competition, maintain U.S. competitiveness, and create American jobs of the future in key energy sectors as well as new technology areas such as high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, microelectronics, and quantum information science,” ESC’s letter said.
Download the PDF (Letter from ESC)
Download the PDF (Letter from Members of Congress)