- Budget and Appropriations Update
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Labor-HHS-Ed Bill
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Approve, Plan Appropriations Committee Consideration
- Senate Appropriations Chair to Discuss Budget Caps with White House
- Administration to Request Emergency Border Crisis Funds
- Lawmakers Introduce American Innovation Act to Increase Agency Research Funding
- DOD Withholds NESP Waivers for Schools with Confucius Institutes
- CNSR Submits Recommendations for FY20 NDAA S&T Research Authorization Levels
- AAU, Associations Share OHRP Revised Common Rule Concerns
- Upcoming Events
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Tuesday approved the $189.8 billion FY20 Labor-HHS-Ed spending bill. The Labor-HHS-Ed bill allocates $75.9 billion for the Education Department, nearly $12 billion more than the administration’s budget request and 6 percent above FY19. The bill would raise the maximum Pell Grant by $150 to a total of $6,345 and would increase Federal Work-Study funds by 27 percent to $1.4 billion. The legislation also includes $41.08 billion for the NIH, a $2 billion increase over FY19, and proposes $50 million in designated funds for the CDC and NIH to study firearm injury and mortality prevention for the first time in 20 years.
House appropriators Wednesday advanced the Legislative Branch and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bills. Lawmakers set overall non-defense discretionary spending at $631 billion for FY20, and reportedly plan to pass all 12 annual spending bills through the House by the end of June. The full committee could as early as May 8 consider Labor-HHS-Ed, Legislative Branch, and MilCon-VA spending bills.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE: AAU FY20 Funding Priorities Table | AAU Education Department Table
Senate Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) said he hopes to next week meet with the President to discuss “draconian cuts” that would occur under the Budget Control Act budget caps. House Appropriators have assumed caps that are approximately the same levels as current year, but if Congress fails to reach a deal to raise the budget caps the administration supports FY20 and 21 discretionary spending will face cuts of $225 billion.
The White House Wednesday asked Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency funding to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. The supplemental spending request could come as soon as this week, and would seek additional funds for Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Justice Department.
LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE AMERICAN INNOVATION ACT TO INCREASE AGENCY RESEARCH FUNDING
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL) Tuesday introduced “The American Innovation Act,” which would increase the annual budget of the NSF, DOE Office of Science, DOD Science and Technology Programs, NIST Scientific and Technical Research and Services Programs, and NASA by five percent plus inflation. Similar to legislation Durbin introduced in the 114 and 115 Congress, the legislation is consistent with the scientific research funding recommendations in Innovation: An American Imperative. Of the bill, Foster said, “As we confront new challenges, we need to make sure our scientists have the resources they need to perform their work at the highest levels and help us maintain our role as global leaders in research and innovation.”
DOD WITHHOLDS NESP WAIVERS FOR SCHOOLS WITH CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES
The Defense Department this week announced it will not grant qualification waivers for National Security Education Program language program grants to institutions that host Confucius Institutes. A provision in the FY19 NDAA barred the department from providing money for Chinese language programs to institutions that host Confucius Institutes unless the university received a waiver. A Defense spokesperson said, “the department has determined that it’s not in the national interest to grant waivers.”
CNSR SUBMITS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FY20 NDAA S&T RESEARCH AUTHORIZATION LEVELS
The Coalition for National Security Research, of which AAU is a member, recently sent a letter to Senate and House Armed Services Committee leadership to offer their recommendations for the FY20 NDAA. The letter outlines the importance of the Defense Department’s continued support for “transformational science and technology (S&T) research that maintains the military’s technical superiority.” The coalition also suggests the department continue to support the National Defense Strategy, defense basic research, and University Research Initiatives, among others.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS SHARE OHRP REVISED COMMON RULE CONCERNS
AAU, together with AAMC, APLU, and COGR, on Wednesday sent a joint letter to the Office for Human Resources Protection ask the OHRP and Common Rule agencies address issues regarding the application of the cooperative research requirement under the revised Common Rule. The rule requires that studies approved by an Internal Review Board on or after January 20, 2020 be approved under a single IRB, but OHRP staff has indicated this rule will affect studies beginning on or after January 19, 2019. The letter says “if this interpretation persists, and without regulatory or related changes in guidance, research will be interrupted, and administrative burden and costs will significantly increase, without benefit to the protection of research participants.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY 14 TFAI BENCHMARKS 2019 LUNCHEON; 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. ET, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building. RSVP here.
MAY 15 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CONGRESSIONAL EXHIBIT & RECEPTION; 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. ET, Rayburn House Office Building Cafeteria. See the invitation here, and RSVP here.
MAY 22 CNSR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & INFORMATION EXCHANGE (STIx) BRIEFING; 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building. Register here. For more information, see invitation here. If interested in presenting a poster, email Aaron Kiesler.