Thirty-one Nobel Laureates and Science Community Leaders including President Mary Sue Coleman sent a letter to the President of the United States and Members of Congress to call attention to the harm done to American science during the partial shutdown of the federal government.
"We are encouraged by discussions of proposals that would protect science, among other critical activities, from the significant disruptions that occur during shutdowns of appreciable length, and we urge the avoidance of such lapses. Shutting down parts or all of the federally funded scientific enterprise, which enjoys support across the entire political spectrum, serves only our foreign competitors. Continued strong support for science benefits us all."