Today, TFAI sent the following letter to key members of Congress:
TFAI Draft Letter 9.1.2022Click here for a printer-friendly version.
Full text of the letter is below:
Dear Chairman Leahy, Chairman DeLauro, Ranking Member Shelby, and Ranking Member Granger:
The Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI)—an alliance of industry, scientific societies, and university organizations—strongly encourages you to pass fiscal year 2023 (FY23) appropriations in the 117th Congress to complete the commitment Congress made with the successful passage of the bipartisan CHIPS + Science Act of 2022.
The enactment of the CHIPS + Science Act is a crucial step for the U.S. to maintain its global leadership in research, technology and innovation, which are critical for economic growth and national security. The bill funds critical investments in U.S. semiconductor capability and, importantly, provides significant increases in authorized funding for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and NASA, setting a clear pathway for increased federal investments in scientific research.
As Congress seeks to complete the FY23 appropriations process in a timely matter, we strongly urge that it include funding at the levels authorized in the CHIPS + Science Act of 2022. This level of investment is necessary to fulfill the bipartisan vision for economic security adopted in CHIPS, by expanding and accelerating research and development for the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, among many other fields where U.S. leadership is critical. We encourage Congress to seize momentum to prioritize funding for critical federal science agencies.
The House and Senate made significant investments in R&D when determining the FY22 funding levels; however, the FY23 appropriations bills provide a further opportunity to significantly increase our nation’s investment in science and technology, to address national challenges and reclaim our lead in international competition, and to ensure the CHIPS + Science authorized funding levels are matched.
This is not the first time Congress has attempted such targets for these agencies. In 2007 and 2010, amid similar concerns over increased international competition and lagging investments in U.S. science and innovation, Congress also adopted versions of America COMPETES. These could have achieved similar ends as the current legislation, but actual appropriations ended up far short of their intended targets. To fully realize the potential impacts of the CHIPS + Science Act, we cannot make the same mistake.
Now, more than ever, we must ensure that the U.S. research enterprise is able to support and develop the science underlying the advanced technologies necessary to maintaining U.S. competitiveness, which will ensure our future economic and national security. Recently, the National Science Board released a report titled, “The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2022.” The report found many of our global competitors are increasing rapidly their investments in R&D, while the proportion of total U.S. R&D funded by the U.S. government is getting smaller. As a result, the U.S. lead in scientific output is being challenged, while the U.S. has already lost the lead in technology-intensive manufacturing.
Given the urgent need to recommit our nation to prioritizing S&T research to address the increasing global competition we face in emerging technologies, we request the highest funding levels possible for federal S&T research.
To that end, we recommend the full funding for NIST, DOE Office of Science, and NSF under the bipartisan CHIPS + Science funding levels, as well as the highest funding possible for the DOD basic research accounts
Thank you for your leadership and continued support of federally funded research in the physical sciences and engineering. The United States needs stable, continuous and robust funding for the agencies that help strengthen the U.S. economy, grow the U.S. workforce, and maintain U.S. leadership in science, technology and innovation. The only way to do that is to commit to the funding goals of the CHIPS + Science Act, and the time for that commitment is now.
Sincerely yours,
The Task Force on American Innovation