Markey; NIH Increase; AI Bills; NASA Visit

BU IN DC

President Melissa Gilliam met with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) on July 30th. Their wide-ranging discussion included topics such as the National Science Foundation, artificial intelligence, and distinguished BU alumni in politics.

SENATE PROPOSES INCREASES FOR NIH, ENERGY RESEARCH, AND STUDENT AID

On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed several spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2025 before heading out on its August recess. The proposed Senate budgets for certain research and student aid programs, as compared to FY 2024, are as follows:

• National Institutes of Health: $50.2 billion, a $2.05 billion increase
• ARPA-H: $1.5 billion, sustained funding
• Department of Energy Office of Science: $8.6 billion, a $360 million increase
• Pell Grant Maximum Award: $7,495, a $100 increase
• Federal Work-Study: $1.23 billion, sustained funding

The Senate-proposed funding levels are higher than those recommended by the House Appropriations Committee last month. Congress is not expected to approve a final spending package until after the November presidential election.

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SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BILLS

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved several bills on Wednesday that would augment federal support for artificial intelligence research. The Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (CREATE AI) Act (S. 2714) would officially authorize the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), a testbed for AI research. The NAIRR is currently being piloted by the National Science Foundation. The committee also passed the NSF AI Education Act (S. 4394), which would create scholarships and fellowships to support students studying AI and quantum science.

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BUZZ BITS...

• NASA Associate Administrator for Science Nicola Fox visited BU on Tuesday. She met with faculty, students, and post-docs working on NASA-supported research.
• Last week, the National Science Board released a policy brief designed to prompt conversations about the growing role of industry in funding research, the impact of China as both a research competitor and collaborator, and the rise in jobs requiring science and technology skills. The next board meeting is scheduled for December 4th and 5th.
• The Government Accountability Office released a report on college hunger last week which revealed that 23% of college students experienced food insecurity and 59% of students who may have been eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) did not indicate they received benefits. The report was requested by the senior Democrats on the House Committees on Education and the Workforce and Agriculture.

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Harris; NSF; Humanities

BU IN DC

Kevin Outterson of CARB-X and the School of Law discussed incentives for antimicrobial therapeutics at a House Budget Committee roundtable event on July 25th.

DEMOCRATS COALESCE AROUND HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT

Democrats quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris as their Presidential nominee after President Joseph R. Biden announced he would not seek reelection this past Sunday. Biden swiftly endorsed Harris, who has joined his call for student debt cancellation. Harris previously represented California in the U.S. Senate, where she introduced legislation to ensure basic needs -- such as food, housing, and transportation -- for college students. As California's Attorney General, Harris successfully sued for-profit colleges that engaged in predatory practices. Last year, Vice President Harris toured college campuses to tout the Biden-Harris Administration's fight for reproductive freedom, climate action, and voting rights.

Watch her speak to students

SENATE PROPOSES INCREASES FOR NSF, NASA

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a spending bill on Thursday that would increase the National Science Foundation's (NSF) budget by 5.4% over its current level. The bill also proposes an 8% increase for NASA's earth science portfolio and a 1% increase for the agency's heliophysics work. The Senate's proposed funding levels are more generous than those approved by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this summer. The House has recommended a 2% increase for NSF and no increase for the NASA Science Mission Directorate. The chambers are expected to delay work on a final spending package until after the November election.

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SENATE AND HOUSE DIFFER ON ARTS AND HUMANITIES BUDGETS

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill on Thursday that would increase the budgets of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities by 1%, in contrast to the approach recommended by the U.S. House of Representatives the day before. After rejecting two amendments to slash the budgets of the cultural agencies by 23%, the House approved a bill on Wednesday that would fund each agency at $203.9 million, a $3.11 million decrease and 2% drop from last year. The chambers are expected to reconcile the differences between their bills and finalize a spending package after the November election.

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