Senate to Release First Science Budgets, Challenge FY25 Caps
Senate appropriators are preparing to push back against current spending caps as they begin advancing their budget proposals for fiscal year 2025 this week, starting with the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill on Thursday. The committee has reached a bipartisan agreement to use emergency funding to circumvent the caps set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which permits only a 1% increase to both defense and nondefense spending.
In a recent speech, Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) said that sticking to these caps would cause the U.S. to fall “way behind on innovation when we should be leading the way,” adding that the Chinese government reportedly plans to increase its R&D spending by 10% this year. She also said that without additional funding agencies such as NASA would be forced to delay missions and the National Institutes of Health would face a large shortfall as a special funding stream created by the 21st Century Cures Act comes to an end.
The Republican-led House is unlikely to support this use of emergency funds, as it successfully opposed a similar bid by the Senate in the previous budget cycle. This year, House appropriators have proposed budget increases for a few science agencies without resorting to emergency funds, such as a 1.8% increase for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, but others would see flat or decreased budgets. The full House plans to vote on its DOE spending bill this week after the Rules Committee meets to determine which of the proposed amendments will receive votes.
The full House bills, with proposed amendments, are posted here:
- Energy-Water
- Commerce-Justice-Science
- Labor-Health and Human Services-Education
- Interior-Environment
IBM Executive Takes Helm of NSF Board
The National Science Foundation’s governing board will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, its first meeting since electing IBM Research Director Darío Gil as board chair in May. He is the first working industry executive to hold the position in more than 30 years. Gil will moderate a panel discussion on changes in the science and engineering landscape over the past decade with Tarun Chhabra, senior director for technology and national security at the National Security Council; L. Rafael Reif, president emeritus of MIT; and David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation.
The meeting will also cover NSF’s strategy for the U.S. Antarctic Program and the agency’s efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment among workers on the continent. NSF has worked to make it easier for staff to report sexual misconduct and coordinate responses to reports after a 2022 study found that, among USAP focus group participants, 59% of women had personally been subject to or witnessed sexual assault or harassment. Separately, NSF is grappling with infrastructure modernization backlogs in Antarctica that have led it to delay additional facility construction proposals, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage Four telescope.
The meeting agenda does not indicate whether NSF will give an update on the external review panel for the Extremely Large Telescope projects under consideration for NSF funding. The NSF director formed the panel after the board signaled earlier this year that it is unlikely to support both of the two candidate projects. The panel is expected to report back before the end of the fiscal year in September.
Correction: A previous version of this piece incorrectly stated that the external review panel was formed by NSF’s board. It was actually formed by the NSF director. The story has been updated.
VIPER Rover a Victim of Cost Constraints
NASA abruptly canceled its VIPER lunar rover last week, citing concerns that the costs and schedule delays required to complete the mission would threaten cancellation or disruption to other projects in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Construction of the rover is already complete, but the total cost of the mission has increased by more than 30% above the baseline of about $434 million. NASA officials said at a press conference that the cancellation will save $84 million and possibly more if the launch was further delayed, and that the decision was made in the face of a “very constrained budget environment.”
VIPER would have mapped ice and searched for other resources at the lunar South Pole. The Griffin lander, now without VIPER on board, is working toward launch no earlier than fall 2025. NASA said it will now pursue VIPER’s goals through other instruments, including a separate CLPS mission called PRIME-1 and the crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicle to be developed through the Artemis program. NASA’s first two CLPS landers launched in January and February of this year, with the first failing to land on the moon after a fuel leak and the second tipping over upon landing.
Also On Our Radar
- A panel considering ways NASA could reduce the operating costs of the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes, will report out its recommendations at a meeting of the agency’s Astrophysics Advisory Committee on Tuesday. This “Operations Paradigm Change Review” comes as NASA has proposed quickly ramping down funding for Chandra due to budget constraints.
- The House Administration Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday to examine how the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine will affect Congress.
- A National Academies report on the state of the ocean acoustics workforce will be released on Tuesday.
- An assessment of the Department of Energy’s small business R&D programs is kicking off on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- DOE has released a roadmap for its Frontiers in AI for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative.
In Case You Missed It
All events are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.
Monday, July 22
AAPM: Annual meeting and exhibition
(continues through Thursday)
National Academies: State-of-the-science and the future of cumulative impact assessment, meeting two
(continues Tuesday)
NIST: National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee meeting
1:00 - 4:00 pm
House: Meeting to consider Energy-Water Appropriations Act and other appropriations bills
4:00 pm, Rules Committee
Tuesday July 23
NASA: Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Wednesday)
National Academies: Assessment of the SBIR/STTR programs at DOE, meeting two
(continues Wednesday)
DOE: Fifth meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation
(continues Wednesday)
House: Nuclear Regulatory Commission budget request hearing
10:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee
House: Congress in a post-Chevron world
10:15 am, House Administration Committee
House: Are CDC’s priorities restoring public trust and improving the health of the American people?
10:30 am, Energy and Commerce Committee
House: Legislative hearing on the Supercritical Geothermal Research and Development Act and other bills
10:30 am, Natural Resources Committee
National Academies: Ocean acoustics education and expertise, report release briefing
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Wilson Center: The DOD’s new Arctic strategy: An in-depth discussion
11:00 am - 12:15 pm
AAAS: What’s it like to be a STPF Fellow?
1:00 - 2:00 pm
National Academies: Student affairs and student success: A conversation with the Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education
1:00 - 2:45 pm
NIST: National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee meeting
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Wednesday, July 24
NSF: National Science Board meeting
(continues Thursday)
DOD: Defense Science Board meeting (closed)
(continues Thursday)
BIS: Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Thursday)
NOAA: US Integrated Ocean Observing System Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Thursday)
CHORUS: How can we ensure research integrity?
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Thursday, July 25
Senate: Full committee markup of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Act and other appropriations bills
9:30 am, Appropriations Committee
Senate: Advancing national security through export controls, investment security, and the Defense Production Act
10:00 am, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
EPA: Science Advisory Board Environmental Justice Science and Analysis Review Panel meeting
1:00 - 5:00 pm
NOAA: Listening session on regulation of private remote sensing space systems licensing
2:00 - 4:00 pm
National Academies: Navigating the era of artificial intelligence part 2: The role of social sciences
2:00 - 3:30 pm
National Academies: Quadrennial review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative meeting
3:00 - 4:00 pm
National Academies: Increasing diversity in the US ocean studies community committee meeting
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Friday, July 26
No events.
Monday, July 29
National Academies: Review of the SBIR/STTR programs at NASA, meeting four
(continues Wednesday)
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
Deadlines indicated in parentheses. Newly added opportunities are marked with a diamond.
Job Openings
◆Sky & Telescope: Editor in chief
(ongoing)
Optica: Senior editor and content director for Optics and Photonics News
(ongoing)
AAAS: Director, SciLine
(ongoing)
◆National Academies: Research associate, National Materials and Manufacturing Board
(ongoing)
◆National Academies: Chief scientist, Radiation Effects Research Foundation
(ongoing)
NSF: Director, Geosciences Directorate
(July 23)
OSTP: Spring internship
(July 26)
CRS: Research librarian for natural resources, energy, and earth science
(July 26)
DOE: Fellowship in the DOE Office of Technology Transitions
(July 26)
APLU: President
(July 31)
◆DOE: Director, Enabling Science and Partnerships Division, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences
(Aug. 6)
Solicitations
Issues in S&T: Survey on who does S&T policy
(ongoing)
NSF: RFI on digital twins R&D
(July 28)
NASA: RFC on biosketch and disclosure policy
(July 30)
NOAA: RFI on the NOAA Space Weather Scales
(July 31)
DOE: RFI on DOE’s Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
(July 31)
Treasury: RFC on limiting outbound investment in certain technologies
(Aug. 4)
USGS: Call for nominations for the Advisory Committee on Landslides
(Aug. 5)
◆DOE: RFI on fusion public-private partnership framework
(extended to Aug. 6)
USGS: Call for nominations for the National Geospatial Advisory Committee
(Aug. 7)
DOE: RFI on equity action plan update
(Aug. 9)
House: RFC on NIH reform
(Aug. 16)
NIH: RFI on draft public access policy
(Aug. 19)
◆DOE: RFC on conflict of interest and conflict of commitment policy requirements
(Aug. 19)
NTIA: RFC on the advancement of 6G telecommunications technology
(Aug. 21)
Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.
White House
OSTP: Statement on Biden’s decision to not seek reelection
E&E News: Gaming out a Trump energy cabinet
New York Times: What Trump 2.0 could mean for the environment
Scientific American: Project 2025 plan for Trump presidency has far-reaching threats to science
(perspective by Ben Guarino, et al.)
Chronicle of Higher Education: J.D. Vance is coming for higher ed
(perspective by Eboo Patel)
White House: A proclamation on National Atomic Veterans Day
White House: Readout of White House convenings to boost clean manufacturing
Congress
ChinaTalk: Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on tech legislation (AI, chips, Chevron, civil service)
(audio interview)
Stat: The ‘Risky Research Review Act’ would do more harm than good
(perspective by David Gillum, et al.)
House Energy and Commerce Committee: Republicans demand federal agencies adhere to recent Chevron reversal
Science, Society, and the Economy
Nature: The ‘PhD influencers’ logging lab life on TikTok and Instagram
Science: We need better and more PopSci by scientists
(perspective by Agustín Fuentes)
Issues in Science and Technology: ‘This is also a time of great possibility and great capability’
(interview with Saul Perlmutter)
USPTO: 2024 guidance update on patent subject matter eligibility, including on AI
HPCwire: BCG forecasts quantum computing market to create up to $850B in economic value
Education and Workforce
FedScoop: White House advisers push for expanded Pathways Program to fill agency STEM gaps
American Nuclear Society: Four million nuclear jobs by 2050: Who will do them?
Physics World: Why we need gender equality in big science
(perspective by Elizabeth Pollitzer)
Science|Business: Dutch science funder goes horizontal with gender equality measures
Wall Street Journal: Universities don’t want AI research to leave them behind
NSF: NAIRR pilot expansion: Researcher training, community outreach, and classroom education
Research Management
DOJ: University of Maryland agrees to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to disclose foreign research support in federal grant proposals
Export Compliance Daily: BIS regulatory agenda previews new emerging tech, US persons controls
HPCwire: IOP Publishing introduces world’s first open access journals for machine learning and AI in sciences
The Guardian: Academic journals are a lucrative scam – and we’re determined to change that
(perspective by Arash Abizadeh)
Scholarly Kitchen: Woefully insufficient publisher policies on author AI use put research integrity at risk
(perspective by Avi Staiman)
Stat: IRBs fail to assess trials’ scientific merit, putting participants at risk
(perspective by Spencer Phillips Hey and Michael Wilkes)
American Enterprise Institute: Recovering science policy
(perspective by M. Anthony Mills)
E&E News: Auditors warn USGS labs remain exposed to cheating
Labs and Facilities
Argonne National Lab: Elected officials and DOE leaders dedicate the upgraded Advanced Photon Source
Oak Ridge National Lab: DOE opens bids to construct ORNL’s next-generation supercomputer
NASA: NASA Ames welcomes New Zealand prime minister, celebrates partnership
LLNL: Why we pause experiments at the National Ignition Facility
(video)
Construction Physics: What would it take to recreate Bell Labs?
(perspective by Brian Potter)
Construction Physics: Bell Labs reading list
(perspective by Brian Potter)
Computing and Communications
HPCwire: Illinois to lead quantum computing advancements with new national proving ground
HPCwire: DOE and DARPA sign MOU to enhance quantum computing initiatives
NIST: Dev Palmer appointed director of the director of the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program
Bloomberg: US considers tougher trade rules against companies in chip crackdown on China
NIST: CHIPS R&D Program Standards Summit
(report)
Reuters: Dutch chip equipment startup Nearfield raises $148 million
Science|Business: EU and South Korea announce winners of four co-funded semiconductor projects
Export Compliance Daily: US allies hesitant to control chips because of Chinese retaliation, BIS leader says
Space
SpaceNews: NASA science head optimistic Europa Clipper launches on schedule
Science: By killing a lunar rover, NASA puts commercial delivery program on notice
Science: Go/no-go for a Mars samples return
(perspective by David Southwood)
NASA: Here’s how AI is changing NASA’s Mars rover science
SpaceNews: NASA space technology head leaves the agency
The Guardian: Meteor thought to have exploded over midtown Manhattan, NASA says
SpaceNews: China reschedules planetary defense mission for 2027 launch
SpacePolicyOnline: ESA gets go ahead to begin work on Apophis mission
SpacePolicyOnline: Rare SpaceX failure leaves launch schedules in flux
Space Review: Chevron Deference, its repeal, and the effect on regulation of orbital debris
(perspective by Michael Listner)
Weather, Climate, and Environment
NOAA: NOAA orders second high-altitude jet for hurricane and climate research
E&E News: Inside the Project 2025 plan to gut climate regs
Inside Climate News: NATO report outlines growing climate risks to global security
USGS: Draft national spatial data infrastructure strategic plan
(report)
Energy
Axios: The nuclear fusion industry is having a growth spurt
Foreign Affairs: Nuclear must be part of the solution
(perspective by Rafael Mariano Grossi)
GAO: Nuclear waste cleanup: Changes needed to address current and growing shortages in mission-critical positions
(report)
CSIS: House of cards? Nuclear norms in an era of strategic competition
(report)
Science|Business: Warsaw hub aims for ‘lighthouse role’ in AI energy efficiency
New York Times: Thomas Neff, who turned Soviet warheads into electricity, dies at 80
Defense
Breaking Defense: Defense Innovation Board calls to resurrect AT&L office, but with new name
DefenseScoop: Defense Innovation Board calls on DOD to reorganize, launch new undersecretariat
SpaceNews: US military to award $3 billion contract for AI-driven intelligence
Science|Business: EU and NATO team up to support defense and security innovation
SpaceNews: US Space Force chief emphasizes international partnerships
Biomedical
Science: This CEO aims to revolutionize cancer-killing isotope production — and fusion power
STAT: USDA maintains bird flu can be eliminated from dairy cows, even as doubts mount among experts
Issues in Science and Technology: Medicine means more than molecules
(perspective by Sindy Escobar Alvarez and Sam Gill)
International Affairs
NASA: NASA signs US, Saudi Arabia agreement for civil aeronautics, space collaboration
Space Review: The significance of Bulgaria joining the Artemis Accords
(perspective by Svetoslav Alexandrov)
Science|Business: European Commission President Von der Leyen vows to increase EU research spending in new term
Science|Business: Borys Budka to chair European Parliament’s industry and research committee
Research Professional: Re-elected European Parliament president: ‘We need to invest in research’
Science|Business: How Germany’s main science funding agency backs international research
South China Morning Post: China sets 2029 deadline to create science and tech ‘quality workforce’ to power nation
ITIF: The US-China tech conflict fractures global technical standards: The case of semiconductors and the RISC-V standard
(perspective by Nigel Corey)
Nature: China–US research collaborations are in decline — this is bad news for everyone
(perspective by Gemma Conroy)
Research Professional: Science cuts in New Zealand ‘are causing a generational crisis’