Industry Leaders Urge Congress to Increase Science Funding
Last week, chief technology officers and senior research executives from 20 technology companies (including 3M, IBM, and Intel) sent a letter to the leaders of the House and the Senate asking them to fund research and development at the National Science Foundation at the levels authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The Task Force on American Innovation, of which AAU is a member, coordinated the letter. The 2022 legislation had promised to double the NSF’s budget by 2027; instead, Congress cut the agency’s budget by 8% in FY24.
The industry letter argued the importance of federally funded research and noted that it has allowed the United States to stand “atop the global tech market due to the unmatched combination of our universities, skilled workers, innovative drive, and diverse talent.” The letter noted that NSF-funded research, in particular, has played “a crucial role connecting the academy to industry and the government” and advanced “innovative technologies benefiting the industries of the future.”
The letter urged Congress to prioritize the commitments it has made to NSF research and to “seize this moment to invest in our nation’s future innovation.” It concluded: “Together we can accelerate scientific discovery, drive technological breakthroughs, and secure a prosperous and resilient future for America.”
ICYMI: Barbara’s Blog: Budget Cuts to Science Programs Are Threatening Our Global Leadership
House Spending Bills Propose Flat Funding for Key Science Agencies, Cuts for Education Department
Last week, House Republicans released FY25 funding bills outlining spending plans for several key federal agencies. The bills provide mostly flat funding or slight increases for AAU’s priority science agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, as well as the Pell Grant program. At the same time, the bills propose significant cuts for the Department of Education and other agencies.
The FY25 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bill (summary) provides $185.8 billion in funding, 4% below the FY24 enacted level.
- The bill includes $48 billion for the National Institutes of Health, the same as FY24. It also proposes “the largest restructuring of the NIH in a generation, consolidating 27 centers into 15.”
- The bill also provides $72 billion for the Department of Education, a 13% cut from FY24, and $740.4 million for the Institute of Education Sciences ($52.7 million less than FY24).
- It sets the annual maximum Pell Grant award to $7,395, the same as FY24, but cuts both the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program and the Federal Work-Study program by 50%. The bill keeps funding for Federal TRIO programs at the same level as FY24.
The FY25 Commerce-Justice-Science bill (summary) provides $71.93 billion in total funding, 2% below the enacted FY24 level.
- It provides $25.18 billion for NASA (1% more than FY24) and $9.26 billion for the National Science Foundation (2% more than FY24, but still less than what the agency received in FY23).
The House Appropriations Committee also released the FY25 Energy-Water bill (summary) and the FY25 Interior-Environment bill (summary). The bills provide $8.39 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science (1.8% more than FY24) and $203.9 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (2% less than FY24).
The Senate has yet to release any of its funding bills, which are unlikely to adhere to the spending plans proposed by the House. Democrats have already expressed opposition to the proposed bills outlined above.
President Biden Announces Action to Ease Work Visa Process for U.S. College Graduates
The Global Research-Intensive Universities Network issued a statement last week reaffirming the roles and responsibilities of research-intensive universities. GRIUN consists of AAU and similar associations of leading research universities in other nations, including the Australian Group of Eight, the Canadian U15, the German U15, the Japanese Research University 11, the League of European Research Universities, and the United Kingdom’s Russell Group. AAU President Barbara R. Snyder attended the group’s meeting in Berlin; the statement is based on the discussions association leaders had with one another during the meeting.
The statement noted the critical role research-intensive universities play in responding to global challenges. “We have stood the test of time – with roots stretching back, in some cases, centuries – by serving and supporting our societies through times of conflict, challenge, pandemics, and revolutionary new ideas,” the statement noted, adding: “We have done this by standing fast to the principles of free and open inquiry: advancing and disseminating knowledge, testing ‘known’ ideas, and undertaking rigorous, evidence-based research.”
It also reaffirmed research-intensive universities’ core values, including “providing outstanding education;” conducting research that leads to innovation and progress as well as curiosity-driven research that builds “resilience against unknown challenges;” fostering “excellence through global talent mobility;” and creating “global networks through international collaboration.” The statement called upon governments and partners worldwide to work with research-intensive universities to “realize the full potential of the distinctive research, innovation, and partnerships” they offer.
AAU Immigrant Spotlight Features Electrical and Computer Engineering Professors at Purdue
Earlier this month, President Biden announced that the Department of Homeland Security will take action to allow “individuals, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, who have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education in the United States, and who have received an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a field related to their degree, to more quickly receive work visas.”
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program provides protection from deportation for nearly 600,000 college students and other young people who were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own; DACA beneficiaries are sometimes referred to as “Dreamers.” AAU supports congressional action to provide permanent protection for DACA beneficiaries.
President Biden also announced that DHS will create a process to enable noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens who have resided in the United States for 10 or more years to apply for lawful permanent residence. Details regarding how the programs will be implemented are not yet available.
Leading Research Universities Report to Return on Monday, July 15
AAU’s latest Immigrant Spotlight is on Anand and Vijay Raghunathan, two distinguished professors in electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University. The brothers immigrated to the United States from India and are now conducting groundbreaking research in advanced computing. Anand Raghunathan directs Purdue’s Integrated Systems Laboratory, where he is currently working on making artificial intelligence systems more energy efficient. Vijay Raghunathan is the director of the university’s Semiconductor Degrees Program and is currently working to design embedded computing systems “in ways that make them smaller, higher performance, consume lower power, and more reliable and secure.”
AAU’s Immigrant Spotlight series shares stories of talented immigrant researchers who are helping power U.S. innovation and contributing to global U.S. scientific leadership. Read all the stories in our Immigrant Spotlight series here.
News of Interest
Politico: White House to Appeal Student Loan Repayment Plan Ruling – The Biden administration plans to appeal two court orders that have blocked the Education Department from implementing “provisions to further reduce monthly payments … and cancel more debt” for borrowers enrolled in the Saving for a Valuable Education (SAVE) loan repayment plan.
Los Angeles Times: After Protests, UC Berkeley Pledges to Expand Antisemitism Education to All New Students – The University of California, Berkeley is expanding “antisemitism education to all incoming students beginning this fall” to address concerns of increasing antisemitism on campus. The university also plans to expand its Center for Jewish Studies and to launch a new minor in Israel studies this fall.
Higher Ed Dive: Education Department Appeals Block on Title IX Rule to 5th Circuit - The Department of Education is appealing a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the Biden administration’s 2023 final rule on Title IX regulations in four states. The rule strengthens protections for LGBTQI+ students by prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. The Title IX rule is also blocked in six additional states as a result of a separate court ruling.
Inside Higher Ed: CBO Predicts No Pell Shortfall in 2024 Because of FAFSA Issues – A new Congressional Budget Office analysis projects that the Pell Grant program will have an $11.4 billion surplus due to an estimated 10% decrease in the number of federal financial aid applications submitted this year. CBO attributes the decline in applications to the shaky rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system. It estimates “that about 5.94 million students will receive a Pell Grant in 2024 – about 490,000 fewer than it projected last year.”
Higher Ed Dive: First-Year Persistence and Retention Hit Decade High – New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that, “of first-year students who enrolled in fall 2022, 76.5% returned to college the following year.” The national retention rate, which is a measure of how many students return to the same college, also increased to 68.2%.
Featured Research
New Study Shows Heat Waves Increase Risk of Preterm, Early-Term Birth
Researchers from Emory University, the University of Utah, Yale University, and other institutions analyzed 53 million births in the United States during a 25-year period and found that “rates of preterm and early-term births increased when local temperatures were abnormally hot for more than four consecutive days.” Preterm and early-term births are the “leading causes of infant mortality and longer-term health issues” and researchers say that even “modest increases in cases of these conditions can have large public health implications.”
Secure Access to Food and Water Decreasing for U.S. Children
A new study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University and Northwestern University found that, by 2020, nearly one child out of ten in the United States was “experiencing household food insecurity” and avoiding tap water because of distrust or concerns about water quality. Black and Hispanic children were much more likely than white children “to experience simultaneous food and water insecurity.” The researchers suggest investing in government-sponsored nutrition programs to reduce food insecurity and rebuilding trust in the water system through testing or infrastructure upgrades.
Stat of the Week
NIH-Funded Research Supports Jobs in Every State
Research funding by the National Institutes of Health supported more than 400,000 jobs in FY23, according to a report by United for Medical Research on the “NIH’s Role in Sustaining the U.S. Economy.” According to UMR, “As NIH funding is awarded to researchers in individual states, that funding supports employment and the purchase of research-related goods, services, and materials.” To see the impact of NIH funding in your state, check out UMR’s NIH in Your State tool.