Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Science funding Action Alert reposted from the Ecological Society of America:
April 23, 2019
As you may know, President Trump's Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) budget request sent to Congress would flat-fund or drastically cut scientific research accounts across many federal agencies. At the same time, lawmakers are working on a budget agreement to determine the overall level of federal spending. ESA, along with other organizations in the scientific community, is urging congressional leaders to raise the budgetary caps for FY 2020 avoid the affects of mandatory across-the-board cuts to agencies (sequestration) and to support funding for scientific research.
We are hearing from Hill staff that they are not receiving funding requests from individual scientist constituents. If you have reached out to your lawmaker: thank you! If you have not: please do.
The ecological community is facing many hurdles to see strong funding for science in FY20. Each of you has an important role as a constituent to let your Members of Congress know how and why strong federal funding for science benefits you, your state, and the nation.
We ask you to contact (email or call) your U.S. Representative and both of your U.S. Senators and request robust funding for FY20 appropriation bills for scientific research - especially for ecological research and to raise the budget caps. Visit GovTrack to identify your
Members of Congress.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ecological Society of America Public Affairs Office
Here are some tips to develop a short, concise message.
Step 1. Start with a High-Level Talking Point
Example: Our nation's research enterprise is among the most powerful engines for American prosperity. We need robust FY 2020 funding for scientific research and we urge to "raise the budgetary caps" for FY 2020 to support research funding and avoid the affects of mandatory across-the-board cuts to agencies! One of the consistent areas of bipartisan agreement over the past 70 years has been the importance of the federal government's role in supporting research and innovation.
Step 2. Share your personal story!
Briefly explain how federal funding has benefited your research and tell how your research contributes to addressing local, state or federal issues of concern. Note that your work is supported by Agency XYZ and Program XYZ.
Highlights of drastic cuts proposed by the administration to key agencies important to you as well as the amounts that ESA has requested, for your reference.
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Agency
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President's Budget Request
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ESA Request for FY20
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NSF
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$7.1 billion (a 12% cut)
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$9 billion
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EPA
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$6.1 billion (a 31% cut)
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$746 million for Science and Technology
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DOE Office of Science
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$5.4 billion (a 17.3% cut)
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$7 billion
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NOAA
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$4.5 billion (a 17% cut)
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$5.7 billion
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USDA/ARS
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$1.253 billion (a 4% cut)
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$1.821 billion
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USDA/NIFA
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$1.4 billion (a 4.9% cut)
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$445 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
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USDA/USFS
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$5.67 billion (a 6.4% cut)
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$310 million for Forest Service R&D
$83 million for Forest Inventory and Analysis
$16 million for the Joint Fire Science Program
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DOI/USGS
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$938.5 million (a 16.7% cut)
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$1.2 billion
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Step 3. Say Thank You!
Thank your Member of Congress for their support for sustainable funding for our nation's science and technology agencies and ask them to continue sustainable, predictable funding and urge them to prioritize these investments and reject the administration-proposed cuts to science as they begin to craft the FY 2020 funding bills.
