APS Letter on Innovation Legislation

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Majority Leader
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader McCarthy:

On behalf of the American Physical Society (APS) – the nation’s largest physics membership organization with more than 50,000 members in academia, the private sector and national labs – I want to thank you, your colleagues and Congressional staff for your efforts to advance critical legislation that will help ensure our nation’s continued global leadership in science, technology and innovation.

APS is encouraged by the recent progress toward reaching a final agreement between the America COMPETES Act of 2022 and the United States Innovation and Competition Act, which aim to strengthen the US scientific enterprise. We appreciate both chambers recognizing that a significant increase to our federal investments in research – both curiosity-driven and use-inspired – is essential to our economic competitiveness. We strongly support your ultimate goal to accelerate innovation while ensuring more equitable approaches to talent recruitment, development and retention.

We are delighted to see that the most-recent version of the bill contains important “For the Future” reauthorizations of key federal science agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additionally, the negotiated bill contains crucial provisions centered on broadening participation and expanding our domestic STEM workforce, including a new pilot program at NSF to build research capacity at emerging research institutions and new policies to combat sexual harassment in science. Finally, the helium conservation provisions included in the current legislation will improve the research community’s resilience through any future helium supply disruptions and, ultimately, reduce our consumption of this critical, irreplaceable natural resource.

Thank you again for your leadership in working to ensure the United States remains a global leader in science, technology and innovation. If you have questions or would like to further discuss our support for the key provisions outlined above, please do not hesitate to contact APS Director of Government Affairs Mark Elsesser.

Sincerely,