Submitted 2 June 2015 by Susan Anton
Dear AAPA Recent and Current Members,
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a National Science Foundation re-authorization bill (H.R. 1806) that cuts 45% of NSF's research funding to the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences – the directorate that houses the Biological Anthropology Program. The COMPETES legislation (H.R. 1806) passed by a close vote of 217-205.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where the members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (CST) will soon begin working on a Senate version. We ask that you consider joining us in contacting members of the CST and asking them to follow in their bill an approach to funding the NSF that LETS SCIENTISTS DECIDE where to allocate research dollars.
If one or both of your senators are on the CST (listed below), please contact them and register your opinion on this crucial matter. We have included at the end of this message the text of a basic letter that you may use. The links go directly to each senator’s email form webpage.
Even if your senators do not sit on the CST Committee, please consider using the second basic letter below to urge them to be allies in this debate and to talk with their CST colleagues.
Leaving scientists in charge of funding allocations is the right approach and targeted funding cuts should have no place in the re-authorization bill. Please let you senators hear from you.
The AAPA Executive Committee
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (CST) Members
Republican Members
Democratic Members
If your senator IS on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee:
Dear Senator [NAME],
As your constituent living in [CITY], I am writing to you in your role as a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Your committee will soon consider the National Science Foundation (NSF) re-authorization bill. I urge you to assure that the NSF receives its full funding this year, AND that the Senate CST uses its traditional approach to funding NSF: letting its scientists decide how best to allocate research dollars.
As you know, the House bill - the COMPETES Act (H.R. 1806) - includes a targeted, 45% budget cut to the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. This targeted cut represents a dangerous break in congressional relations with NSF. But more importantly, it is not in our national interest. SBE programs support research that provides a better understanding of how the brain works, how to deliver food, water, and energy to people, how to provide more effective health interventions by understanding how people living today and those in the past respond to and innovated to cope with societal and environmental change, and how a complex web of socioeconomic, cultural and infrastructural diversity influence health, science and education outcomes in the U.S. and globally. As a nation, we cannot afford to endanger the future of our science and technology programs. Please let our professional scientists do their job by leaving funding allocation decisions to the scientists.
Thank you for keeping ALL of NSF well-funded.
If your Senator is not on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee – Please consider writing to them and asking them to serve as your ally:
Dear Senator [NAME],
I am one of your constituents, living in [CITY]. I am writing to you to
.
As your constituent living in [CITY], I am writing to urge you to talk with your colleagues on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee concerning the NSF re-authorization bill they will soon consider. Please encourage your colleagues on CST to assure that the National Science Foundation receives its full funding this year, AND that the Senate CST uses its traditional approach to funding NSF: letting its scientists decide how best to allocate research dollars.
As you know, the House bill - the COMPETES Act (H.R. 1806) - includes a targeted, 45% budget cut to the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. This targeted cut represents a dangerous break in congressional relations with NSF. But more importantly, it is not in our national interest. SBE programs support research that provides a better understanding of how the brain works, how to deliver food, water, and energy to people, how to provide more effective health interventions by understanding how people living today and those in the past respond to and innovated to cope with societal and environmental change, and how the complex web of socioeconomic, cultural and infrastructural diversity influence health, science and education outcomes in the U.S. and globally. As a nation, we cannot afford to endanger the future of our science and technology programs. Please let our professional scientists do their job by leaving funding allocation decisions to the scientists.
Thank you for keeping ALL of NSF well-funded.
Copyright © 2024 American Association of Biological Anthropologists.
Site programming and administration: Ed Hagen, Department of Anthropology, Washington State University