The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has issued an action alert encouraging members of the research community to contact their Members of Congress to support passage of spending bills that support research. GSA is one of 27 FASEB member societies.

As reported earlier, the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution that extends spending only through December 11, 2015. The research community is pushing for an omnibus funding bill that would last for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2016 and includes increases for funding agencies.

Congress has shown an interest in enhancing support for research. Back in June, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a spending bill for FY 2016 that would provide $31.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $1.1 billion over the FY 2015 enacted budget. A few days later, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would provide $32 billion for NIH, an increase of nearly $2 billion. The National Science Foundation (NSF) also received increased support from the House this summer.

But without a budget for the rest of FY 2016, these encouraging signs would be for naught. As such, FASEB encourages those concerned about research to urge their Members of Congress to pass a FY 2016 omnibus funding bill that includes increases for NIH and NSF.

To send a message to your Senators and Representative, all you need to do is provide your email address and ZIP Code and make any edits you wish on the draft text provided.

Although thousands of messages have already been sent, it is important for your elected representatives to hear directly from you. They pay attention to their constituents and how many people care about an issue. A few minutes on your part can make a big difference.

 

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Adam Fagen was formerly Executive Director of the Genetics Society of America.

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