Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2018

Public Affairs

March for Science Take Two: April 14, 2018 The Biophysical Society is proud to once again be a partner for the March for Science. The March for Science, a global orga- nization that advocates for equitable evidence-based science policies, is staging more than 70 marches around the globe on April 14, 2018. The focus of the marches will be on holding political leaders accountable for passing equitable, evidence-based policies that serve all people and all communities. To find a March near you, visit https:/www.marchforscience.com/.

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 Raises Spending Cap; Result is Generous Science Budget On February 9, 2018, the President signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (H.R. 1892), after both the Senate and House approved the bill. The agreement funded the federal government through March 23, raised the debt ceiling, and included an agreement to raise the spending caps set by se- questration for 2018 and 2019. The deal to raise the spend- ing caps applies to both defense and nondefense discretion- ary programs but raises the caps for defense programs $165 billion and nondefense only $131 billion over the next two years. It cleared the way to provide additional funding to pro- grams both Democrats and Republicans care about, including investing in science research, in FY 2018 and FY 2019. On March 23, Congress did just that — invested in science. Congress passed and the President approved an omnibus spending bill that funds the government through the rest of FY 2018. This includes a $3 billion increase for NIH, a $1 bil- lion increase for the Department of Energy Office of Science, and a $300 million increase for the National Science Founda- tion. More information will be provided on this budget in the May newsletter. The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, of which the Soci- ety is a member, issued a statement praising the increase in discretionary spending caps, expressing appreciation that the deal acknowledges the NIH as a critical national priority, and reiterating its FY 2018 recommendation of “at least $36.1 bil- lion for the NIH, in addition to dedicated funding through the 21st Century Cures Act and other funding devoted to specific priorities.”

The Coalition for National Science Funding, of which the Society is also a member, wrote to House and Senate Com- merce-Justice-Science appropriators to request $8 billion for NSF in FY18 to reflect four percent real growth over FY16. “This requested increase of four percent real growth,” the letter says, “is consistent with the first recommendation in the clarion call-to-action, ‘Innovation: An American Impera- tive,’ which more than 500 organizations from all 50 states representing industry, academia, and scientific and engineer- ing societies have endorsed.” The Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC), which includes the Biophysical Society, sent a letter to Congress thanking them for lifting the sequestration-level budget cap for non-de- fense discretionary spending. The letter also urges Congress to provide the DOE Office of Science $5.7 billion in FY 2018. This level of funding is consistent with ESC FY 2018 funding statements, which were delivered to Congress in April and December of 2017. United for Medical Research Issues Report on NIH Funding Impact United for Medical Research has released new economic data showing the impacts of NIH-funded research on the US economy. According to the report, in FY 2017, NIH research funding directly and indirectly supported over 400,000 jobs nationwide. In the same year, income generated by these jobs, as well as through the purchase of research-related equipment, services, and materials produced almost $69 billion in new economic activity. The report also shows a correlation between recent increases to the NIH budget and economic benefits. You can view the report at http:/ bit. ly/2BPiH4Z.

April 2018

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