The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy

May 25, 2016

Funding Season is Open: Part 3

Thanks for staying with us as we continue to break down federal science funding for fiscal year 2017 (FY2017). To completely understand how the FY2017 landscape is evolving, I encourage you to check out the first and second parts of our funding Bridge posts. As you’ll recall, we previously laid out the good and bad of the Senate’s appropriations bill covering NASA, DOE’s Office of Science, NOAA, and the National …

May 5, 2016

Funding Season is Open: Part 1

Well, it’s official – the appropriations season in Congress has begun. That’s not to say that Congress hasn’t been contemplating where to spend – and not spend – money all year, but we now have actual legislation that tells us what Congress’ funding priorities are – and more specifically, what their science funding priorities are. On 14 April, the Senate Appropriations Committee finished work on the Energy and Water spending …

August 4, 2015

Make the Most of Recess

Every August, Washington D.C. shuts down as members of both chambers of Congress return to their districts and everyone else in politics takes vacation; this is known as August recess. During August recess members will be focused on spending time with their families, visiting important sites in their district, and making themselves available to their constituents through coffeehouse chats, town halls, and other public events. August recess is a time …

November 21, 2014

Duck Season Now Open. What’s in Congress’ Sights?

The 113th Congress returned to session last week after the mid-term elections. Democrats are seeking to compromise while they still have leadership of the Senate, and Republicans want to tie up loose ends to make room for more ambitious legislation in the 114th Congress when they take control of both chambers. The hope is that the lame duck Congress will be productive in passing fiscal year 2015 (FY15) appropriations, confirming nominees for administrative posts, and selecting party leadership positions for congressional committees.

October 29, 2013

Eos Interviews Reveal Impacts of the Government Shutdown

The recent shutdown of the U.S. government highlighted the critical role that government funding plays in supporting scientific research. This week’s edition of Eos, AGU’s newspaper covering Earth and space science, features an article assessing the impacts of the shutdown through interviews with AGU members in a variety of fields. The interviews reveal common concerns across the geosciences about losses of data, inability to make long-term plans, and worries about …