Policy & Advocacy

APS Government Affairs (GA) is a voice for physics and the physics community in Washington, DC. We interact directly with policymakers and their staff on issues important to APS members, while also facilitating communication between physicists, the public, and the government.

APS’s advocacy efforts are member-driven and informed by the work of the APS Panel on Public Affairs and the guidance of the Physics Policy Committee. Together with APS leadership, these committees help guide our policy positions and advocacy priorities.

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APS Policy Positions

Member-led committees and elected leadership lead APS Statements' development, which articulate the Society’s enduring positions, inform policy activities, and guide advocacy. Learn more about how APS statements are created.

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Get Involved

There are many ways to get involved in advocacy for the physics community: contact public officials, subscribe to policy alerts, or engage with APS Units as a way to stay up-to-date on additional opportunities. Learn more.

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Resources

We provide many advocacy resources for physicists and policymakers, including science policy reports, letters from APS leadership, member-authored opinion-editorials, APS News stories, and more. View resources.

Our Impact

APS GA’s strategic approach to advocacy yields results. Combining data-forward studies and reports with a strong network of APS-member advocates, APS influences federal legislation and Executive Branch actions that impact physicists and the scientific community. Successes range from having new legislation introduced to bills and policy provisions becoming law to helping end harmful federal regulations.

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 is just one example of our strategic approach's success. APS advocacy efforts, including our members' support, informed and helped advance this landmark legislation, which was the most significant science and innovation bill in more than a decade. In particular, we were instrumental in the inclusion of three key provisions in the final bill: (1) broadening research participation to create a stronger, more diverse workforce; (2) combating sexual and gender harassment in STEM; and (3) helping address the liquid helium crisis by requiring that NSF and DOE SC establish programs that increase the scientific community’s abilities to recycle and reuse helium.

We also championed efforts to restore the EPA’s standards on methane emissions in the oil and natural gas sector and played an instrumental role in ending the Department of Justice’s China Initiative, a targeted measure that sowed fear among scientists of Asian descent, restricted legitimate international collaborations, and hindered the United States in the race for global talent.

Our Approach

APS advocacy efforts are aligned with the Society’s core values, which include truth and integrity, diversity, inclusion, and respect, speaking out, and partnering, cooperation and open collaboration. Our data-forward approach recognizes that APS members, acting as constituents, are a powerful voice on Capitol Hill. Our tailored strategies advance each of APS’s policy priorities, which are set with the guidance of APS leadership and input from APS members.

Learn more about current campaigns and make your voice heard.