Washington, DC—The Task Force on American Innovation, an alliance of leading American companies and business associations, scientific and engineering societies, and university organizations which supports federally-funded scientific research, today issued the following statement praising bipartisan efforts to increase funding for research in the House of Representatives:

“The Task Force on American Innovation greatly appreciates the recent bipartisan effort of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee – led by Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) – to introduce the NSF for the Future Act, a critical piece of science and technology legislation. This effort, as well as the reauthorization of other critical science agencies, will establish the foundation of America’s future innovation enterprise. Our members look forward to providing input on this important legislation as it moves through the process.

Now more than ever, we urge Congress to provide robust funding for scientific research. The rest of the world has taken a page from our playbook– recognizing the importance of investments in scientific research – and they are not standing still. The gap in research funding between the U.S. and its foreign competitors is closing.

Research programs – particularly those at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, the Department of Defense (DOD) Basic Research Sciences, NASA, and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – are critical for continued U.S. leadership.”