U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and NSF for the Future Act

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