Amplified spending constraints, political division necessitates policy engagement by scientists

When Congress returns from the August recess, it will have just a few weeks (10 scheduled legislative working days total) to pass legislation to keep the government funded beyond Sept. 30 when the current fiscal year ends.

Both the House and Senate have introduced appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. Congressional Republicans, now in control of both the House and Senate, have vowed to adhere to the sequestration spending caps on discretionary spending that were put in place by the Budget Control Act (Public Law 112-25).

The Senate has introduced, yet failed to move its 12 of its FY 2016 spending bills to the Senate floor. The minority party has filibuster power in the Senate, requiring many bills to secure support from at least 60 Senators. Senate Democrats have vowed to oppose any appropriations bills that adhere to the sequestered spending constraints. Congressional Democrats and the White House have urged lawmakers to negotiate a deficit reduction alternative that provides relief to federal discretionary spending programs.

Meanwhile, the House has managed to pass six of its 12 FY 2016 appropriations bills, including its Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies bill, which includes funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among other agencies.

During the most recent edition of the Ecologist Goes to Washington podcast, 2015 Graduate Student Policy Award recipient Cleo Chou discussed how sustained funding support from the NSF has been vital to both her research and continued education as a graduate student.

Cleo Chou (Princeton University, 2015 Graduate Student Policy Award winner)

Chou explained that her NSF Graduate Research Fellowship helped fund the past three years of her stipend as a Ph.D. student as well as her tuition. NSF also helped fund equipment at the facility where she conducts her research into carbon and nutrient cycling in tropical rainforests. Chou’s research will further understanding of climate change and will help ensure society can continue to benefit from the various ecosystem services tropical rainforests provide such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity and food.

Chou also reflected on her overall experience in Washington, DC, learning about the federal budget process and the meetings she attended as part of the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition congressional visits to urge lawmakers to continue to support funding for NSF and biological research.  The visits helped lawmakers understand how sustained investment in scientific research benefits the communities they represent.

The 2013 federal government shutdown showcased both the short-term and long-term effects a lapse in government funding can have on scientific research. Amid a multitude of political and practical considerations policymakers will weigh as they negotiate how to prioritize funding for national priorities, it is important that scientists engage in the policymaking process to ensure their voices are not drowned out, as Chou notes in the podcast.

“Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box of academia to try something new,” she said. “There are a lot of roles for scientists in policy and if science isn’t at the table, it won’t be heard.”