After Congress temporarily blocked the White House’s efforts to change how federally funded science is implemented, lawmakers turned their attention to crafting permanent protections against the draft regulations.
Press reports indicate that Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee respectively, are developing a provision to include in the final National Institutes of Health (NIH) appropriations bill. While the specific text of the provision is not public yet, the provision would prevent political influence allowed in the White House draft regulation.
ASCB president Rong Li has sent a letter to Senators Collins, Murray, Moore Capito (R-WV), and Baldwin (D-WI), urging them to continue working on permanent language, saying “The proposed regulations threaten the integrity of American science and could undermine the research enterprise that has made the United States a global leader in life science.”
Her letter also highlights the impact the proposed regulations would have on the U.S. economy, which benefits greatly from life science research. In conclusion, Li said, “Scientific progress will not stop if the United States makes it harder to conduct research here. Instead, the work will increasingly take place elsewhere. Discoveries will still be made, companies will still be founded, and jobs will still be created—but not in the United States.”
About the Author:
Kevin M. Wilson serves as Chief Policy Officer for the American Society for Cell Biology. He's worked as the Legislative Director for U.S. Congressman Robert Weygand (D-RI) and as a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI). He has a BA in Politics and American Government from the Catholic University of America. Email: kwilson@ascb.org
