AAU Joins Letter Urging White House to Support Critical RISE Act Relief for American Research Enterprise
AAU [and Vanderbilt University] joined more than 200 science organizations, higher education associations, and colleges and universities on a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the White House support H.R.869/ S.289, the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act.” The letter, organized by Research!America, notes that “funding the RISE Act would preserve and protect our nation’s research investments and repair the frayed career [pathways] for the next generation of scientists.” The AAU-endorsed measure would authorize approximately $25 billion in relief funding to support the nation’s research workforce and offset costs related to laboratory closures and lost research productivity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. ( Association of American Universities - Mar. 24, 2021)
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FY 22 APPROPRIATIONS NEWS
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Friends of IES Coalition Requests At Least $700B for IES in FY22
[T]he Friends of IES coalition[, of which AAU and Vanderbilt University are members,] sent a letter to House and Senate Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee leaders requesting at least $700 million for the Institute of Education Sciences in FY22. The letter says that this funding would “bolster the research and statistical infrastructure needed to develop and scale up evidence-based interventions to support learning recovery, understand and address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across all levels of education, and ensure the continuation of research and data collection in the field.” ( Association of American Universities - Mar. 24, 2021)
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Pressure Mounts on NCAA as House Democrats Demand Answers over Tournament Disparities
Controversy over gender disparities at college basketball’s marquee tournaments reached Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as a group of 36 House Democrats demanded answers of NCAA President Mark Emmert and soccer star Megan Rapinoe called out NCAA officials in a congressional hearing. The House Democrats’ letter, which was provided to The Washington Post, asks Emmert to review “all other championship competitions to ensure that they adhere to the gender equity principles of Title IX,” the landmark gender equity law that bars discrimination on college campuses. Emmert and the NCAA are also facing pressure from college athletes upset that the governing body does not allow them to be paid for use of their personal brands. ( The Washington Post - Mar. 24, 2021)
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Senate Confirms David Turk as Deputy Energy Secretary
The Senate confirmed David M. Turk as deputy Energy secretary in a 98-2 vote Wednesday. Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) were the only senators to vote against Turk’s confirmation in the full Senate vote on Wednesday. Turk, who served on the National Security Council and in the State Department during the Obama administration, cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in an unanimous vote earlier in the month. Turk, who also worked as the State Department’s deputy special envoy for climate change, had worked at the International Energy Agency since 2016. ( The Hill - Mar. 24, 2021)
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EPA to Review Interference in Science During the Trump Administration
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will look into any interference in science that may have occurred during the previous administration. In an email sent to staff, EPA Administrator Michael Regan asked members of the agency to report any “items of concern” to scientific integrity officials. An EPA spokesperson confirmed that the email was in reference to the executive order from President Biden that called on agency heads to review agency actions that were “promulgated, issued, or adopted between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021.” The New York Times previously obtained the email and reported that staffers are expected to highlight about 90 instances where scientific integrity was compromised. ( The Hill - Mar. 24, 2021)
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