What we’re asking for — on your behalf
The 鶹ýɫƬ and 鶹ýɫƬ Biology’s Public Affairs Advisory Committee and public affairs office advocate for robust funding and policies that provide flexibility to scientists, ensure the sustainability of the American research enterprise, and support scientists from all backgrounds and at all institutions.
Here’s what we’ve been up to. (You can read all of our position statements and letters at .)
Our NIH budget recommendations
Sustained increases to the National Institutes of Health’s budget are essential. We provided written testimony to be included at a hearing about the federal budget for fiscal year 2023 by the U.S. House Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.We requested:
- $49.05 billion for the NIH base budget.
- $3.25 billion for the National Institute for General Medicines within the NIH.
- $430.5 million for the NIH to direct specifically to the Institutional Development Awards program.
Virtual Capitol Hill Day: A real success
Members of the PAAC and others met with their representatives and senators on May 11. Participants urged policymakers to:
- Separate funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, from funding for the NIH.
- Pass pro-science provisions in the competitiveness bills moving through Congress.
- Support a “Dear Colleague” letter (a document used by members of Congress to encourage their colleagues to support specific issues) to increase funding for STEM training programs at the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the NIGMS.
Twenty-six participants located in 19 states had 59 meetings.
Compelling the NIH to deal with harassment
We sent a letter on May 25 to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Roy Blunt, R-Miss., and Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Tom Cole, R-Okla., requesting that language be included in appropriations legislation requiring the NIH to create a strategic plan and timeline to address workplace toxicity and harassment at the agency’s intramural campus.
Pro-science provisions are now law
The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law Aug. 9, is the outcome of reconciling two bills in Congress: the America COMPETES Act of 2022, which passed the U.S. House in February, and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which passed the Senate in June 2021. The CHIPS and Science Act outlines historic investments in scientific research and development to keep the U.S. a global leader in scientific discovery. There are multiple provisions that will modernize scientific infrastructure, address systemic barriers faced by the next generation of scientists, and combat sexual harassment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The ASBMB continues to advocate to ensure that funding promised in the bill are ultimately appropriated.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition monthly and the digital edition weekly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Opinions
Opinions highlights or most popular articles
At a career crossroads: Exploring postdoc, faculty and industry paths
“At the crossroads of an academic career, postdocs find ourselves grappling with a challenging decision … about defining our trajectory in academia and shaping the impact we want to have in the academic community.”
How do you help a biochemist find a career path?
Industry, academia and the ASBMB join forces to introduce students job options in the sciences with a panel, networking and cheese.
'Don’t be afraid to take a different path'
In 2016, MOSAIC scholar Rebecca Ann Faulkner paused her career for four years to focus on her family, a decision she believes made her a more effective and empathetic scientist.
The perverse legacy of participation in human genomic research
The story of how one person became the majority source of DNA for the Human Genome Project encapsulates 20th-century researchers’ attitudes toward donor consent, the author says.
Announcing the winners of the 鶹ýɫƬ Motifs bioart competition
The 12 winning works of art to be featured in the 2025 ASBMB calendar were selected from 37 entries received from scientists in both academia and industry at all career stages with submissions coming from as far away as Pakistan and Brazil.
The fourth third of my career: Living the dream
After a few decades of being a professor, Jonathan Monroe thought it would be fun to return to the life of a postdoc after retiring. Here’s how he did it.