It’s Not Over Till it’s OverPresident Biden told Democratic lawmakers last week that tuition-free community college would likely be scrapped from his social spending package, disappointing higher education advocates and dealing a blow to the administration’s college-affordability agenda. [T]he White House has been working with Congress to make substantial cuts to the budget reconciliation bill. Thirty-two education and civil rights organizations issued a joint statement following the reports that the program was cut, condemning Biden for “abandoning” tuition-free community college and breaking the campaign promise he made to young voters. Initial proposals called for funding the program for 10 years, but it was decreased to five years before being dropped from the bill completely. But a final deal still hasn’t been struck, and advocates aren’t giving up on America’s College Promise until the Build Back Better Act is on the president’s desk. ( Inside Higher Ed - Oct. 25, 2021)
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There’s Another Big Dem Agenda Holdup: A Stalled China Competitiveness BillA key national security initiative, a bill aimed at boosting U.S. competition with China and easing the supply-chain backlog, has languished on Capitol Hill amid disagreements between the Senate and the House, even as both parties acknowledge the need to push back on Beijing’s economic and geopolitical ambitions. Democrats in the Senate, where the bill passed overwhelmingly this past summer, are pressuring their House counterparts to act quickly on legislation with clear political benefits at a time when the president needs it most. The House has largely taken a piecemeal approach to the legislation, advancing separate provisions in different committees. That includes tens of billions of dollars in funding authorizations intended to spur scientific advancements and innovation to help U.S. companies better compete with China. The White House has arranged several meetings with the House Science Committee to accelerate the process, according to an official familiar with the outreach. [Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who led passage of the Senate bill] cited China’s recent test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, a major technological advancement, as evidence that the U.S. was at risk of falling behind on scientific innovation. ( Politico - Oct. 25, 2021)
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OSTP Seeks Ideas on How to Advance Equity in Science and TechnologyThe White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is seeking ideas from the American public on how it can guarantee that “all Americans can fully participate in, and contribute to, science and technology.” Americans can visit challenge.gov and, until November 19, pitch ideas for reshaping how science is done and share examples of programs and initiatives that are succeeding in advancing equity in science and technology. “We need everybody to be able to participate in and contribute to science and technology because different experiences and perspectives are the bedrock of new scientific and technological insights, because having everybody on the team is essential to America’s global competitiveness in the 21st century, and, because it’s the right thing to do,” said OSTP Director Eric Lander in a press release about the challenge. The #SciEquityChallenge is the second phase of OSTP’s “The Time Is Now: Advancing Equity in Science and Technology” initiative. In the first phase, OSTP conducted five roundtables on themes related to science and technology equity. More information about the roundtables can be found here. ( Association of American Universities - Oct. 22, 2021)
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Experts Call for a U.S. National Technology Strategy as Competition Heats Up with China
In producing and carrying out an increasingly important national technology strategy, the U.S. government should prioritize Cold War-era investments in research and development and reshape workforce models to incentivize more digitally-savvy personnel, officials said. Federal agencies do not currently operate under one overarching strategy that governs all technology implementation. But such a strategy is becoming more of a necessity as the nation is “losing ground to China” in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics and 5G, [Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.] noted. The senator secured a provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal 2022 that would require the making of a national technology strategy . . . . In his view, the government must act urgently to identify priorities, align federal policies and investments, and mobilize the nation “in a coherent and enduring way.” ( Nextgov - Oct. 22, 2021)
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