U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and NSF for the Future Act
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Office of the Speaker of the House
Capitol Building
H-232
Washington, DC 20515 Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Office of the Senate Majority Leader
Capitol Building
S-221
Washington, DC 20510 Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
Office of the House Minority Leader
Capitol Building
H-204
Washington, DC 20515 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Office of the Senate Minority Leader
Capitol Building
S-230
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Dear Madam Speaker, Republican Leader McCarthy, Democratic Leader Schumer, and
Republican Leader McConnell,
We the undersigned organizations thank and congratulate you for your work this summer to pass critical bipartisan science and technology (S&T) legislation in the Senate and House. We are also pleased to see that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer announced an agreement to go to conference on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and NSF for the Future Act. The investments USICA and NSF for the Future make in research, development, STEM education and other aspects of our S&T infrastructure, will help to secure our country’s economic and national security for decades to come. Our organizations strongly support the historic investments captured in these bills, and urge you to pass a final bill as quickly as possible.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to renew a federal focus on fortifying the engine of American innovation and it is critical for Congress to act upon on this moment. Science and technology have long driven our economy, assured national security, and improved lives nationally and globally. We have come to take such progress for granted, and have been underinvesting in S&T for decades. As a result, our global standing in research and development (R&D) has diminished and we are failing to cultivate a talented and diverse STEM workforce essential for sustained excellence.
While differences exist between USICA and NSF for the Future, the undersigned organizations agree that a final bill include the following essential elements:
- A critical infusion of resources in the S&T enterprise to meet and address societal and
global challenges. - Prioritization of STEM education to ensure a pipeline of well-trained students and researchers and a more diverse STEM workforce.
- An investment in critical current and emerging technology areas so the US can continue to serve as the global leader in science and innovation.
- Policies to cultivate our nations innovation ecosystem
As you advance these important investments, we stand ready to work with you.
Sincerely,
American Anthropological Association
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Astronomical Society
American Educational Research Association
American Heart Association
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Institute of Physics
American Mathematical Society
American Physical Society
American Physiological Society
American Psychological Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Cell Biology
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Virology
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Plant Biologists
Association for Psychological Science
Association of Science and Technology Centers
AVS
Biophysical Society
Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation
Coalition for the Life Sciences
Computing Research Association
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS)
Council of Scientific Society Presidents
Council on Competitiveness
Cowhey Center on Global Transformation
School of Global Policy and Strategy
University of California, San Diego
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Entomological Society of America
Federation of American Scientists
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Geological Society of America
Georgia Institute of Technology
Global Healthy Living Foundation
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Lasker Foundation
Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
National Center for Women & Information Technology
PBM Foundation
People With Empathy
Princeton University
Purdue University
Research!America
Rice University
Science and Technology Action Committee
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics
The Helminthological Society of Washington
The Ohio State University
The State University of New York
University of California, San Francisco
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
University of Colorado Denver
University of Rochester
US Ignite
VHL Alliance
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Cc:
Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS), U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology