- House Prepares for FY22 Appropriations Requests, White House to Release FY22 Budget Request Outline
- AAU, Associations Urge Congress to Double Maximum Pell Grant Award
- Action Item: Senate “Dear Colleague” Letter Urges Biden to Help Double Pell
- Representatives Introduce NSF for the Future Act
- American Innovation Act Would Increase Budget for Research Agencies
- AAU Joins Letter Urging White House to Support Critical RISE Act Relief for American Research Enterprise
- Friends of IES Coalition Requests At Least $700M for IES in FY22
- AAU, Associations Release Key Immigration Priorities
- Upcoming Events
HOUSE PREPARES FOR FY22 APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS, WHITE HOUSE TO RELEASE FY22 BUDGET REQUEST OUTLINE
The House Appropriations Committee’s submissions portal for FY22 appropriations requests will open on Monday, March 29. Please note that subcommittees have extended their deadlines for member requests by two weeks. Senate Appropriations Committee deadlines are forthcoming.
According to Roll Call, the White House is expected to release an outline of its FY22 budget request next week.
RESOURCE AVAILABLE: AAU FY22 Funding Priorities Table
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO DOUBLE MAXIMUM PELL GRANT AWARD
AAU yesterday joined more than 300 organizations and nearly 900 colleges and universities on a letter urging members of Congress to double the maximum Pell Grant award and permanently index the award to inflation to ensure its value does not decrease over time. The letter says that this would “boost college enrollment, improve graduation rates, and honor the history and value of these grants as the keystone federal investment in college affordability.”
ACTION ITEM: ASK SENATORS TO JOIN LETTER URGING BIDEN TO DOUBLE PELL MAXIMUM
Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are circulating a “dear colleague” letter asking senators to join a letter to President Joe Biden requesting he work with Congress on a plan to double the maximum Pell Grant award. The letter to the president highlights the impact of the pandemic and declining Pell Grant value on American students.
REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCE NSF FOR THE FUTURE ACT
Earlier today, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Michael Waltz (R-FL) introduced the National Science Foundation for the Future Act. The bill would authorize funding for the entire foundation from FY22-26, increasing funding about 6 percent each year, and create a new “Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions,” with a budget growing to $5 billion by FY26. Among other things, it would also authorize increases to STEM education and training programs, including the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and NSF Research Traineeship Program.
President Barbara R. Snyder issued a statement applauding the measure’s “bipartisan support for making the bold federal investments in scientific research that help us stay at the forefront of global scientific advancement.”
AMERICAN INNOVATION ACT WOULD INCREASE BUDGET FOR RESEARCH AGENCIES
On Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the American Innovation Act, which Durbin says would “provide annual budget increases of five percent plus inflation for cutting edge research” for: the National Science Foundation; the Department of Energy Office of Science; Defense Department Science and Technology Programs; National Institute of Standards and Technology Scientific and Technical Research Services; and NASA.
In a tweet, AAU applauded Durbin for his effort to “make valuable investments in the research that supports development of critical medical advances like the COVID-19 vaccine and new technologies to address our nation’s energy, climate, and security needs and much more.”
AAU JOINS LETTER URGING WHITE HOUSE TO SUPPORT CRITICAL RISE ACT RELIEF FOR AMERICAN RESEARCH ENTERPRISE
On Wednesday, AAU joined more than 200 science organizations, higher education associations, and colleges and universities on a letter to President Biden requesting the White House support H.R.869 / S.289 , the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act.” The letter, organized by Research!America, notes that “funding the RISE Act would preserve and protect our nation’s research investments and repair the frayed career [pathways] for the next generation of scientists.” The AAU-endorsed measure would authorize approximately $25 billion in relief funding to support the nation’s research workforce and offset costs related to laboratory closures and lost research productivity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
FRIENDS OF IES COALITION REQUESTS AT LEAST $700M FOR IES IN FY22
The Friends of IES coalition, of which AAU is a member, on Monday sent a letter to House and Senate Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee leaders requesting at least $700 million for the Institute of Education Sciences in FY22. The letter says that this funding would “bolster the research and statistical infrastructure needed to develop and scale up evidence-based interventions to support learning recovery, understand and address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across all levels of education, and ensure the continuation of research and data collection in the field.”
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS RELEASE KEY IMMIGRATION PRIORITIES
AAU recently joined ACE, APLU, and nine other higher education associations to compile a list of key immigration priorities. These key priorities will help guide consideration of proposed immigration legislation, whether that occurs in a comprehensive manner or as stand-alone bills on narrower issues. The priorities include support for Dreamers and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program; strengthening the Optional Practical Training program; strengthening international student enrollment; reforms for F-1 student visas; and green card and employment visa reform.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY 31 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD 2021 SPONSORSHIP DEADLINE; More information here.