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September 45, 2024

RE: FY 25 Appropriations Letter 

Dear Leaders of Congress:

As the end of the fiscal year approaches, the Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI) urges you to complete work on a CR and swiftly move to advance all 12 Appropriations bills with robust support for science and innovation, as quickly as possible. Continuing resolutions harm the strategic needs of our national innovation ecosystem. As Congress works to reach a final agreement on FY25 federal appropriations, TFAI strongly urges you to prioritize investments in fundamental research that underpin our nation’s current and emerging technology industries, our future global competitiveness, and our national and economic security.

Our coalition of businesses, trade groups, scientific and engineering societies, and university organizations works to support federally funded basic research carried out within the U.S. research enterprise. There is a broad and bipartisan consensus that federal investments in innovation play a crucial role in spurring economic growth and jobs, while creating the technologies that bolster our national security. This funding is too important to fall victim to politics. For decades, federal investments in fundamental research have fueled economic expansion and these investments are needed now more than ever before. They are essential to ensure the scientific leadership and technological superiority needed to compete with China and others on the international stage.

Now is the time to act and make significant federal investments in fundamental research, research infrastructure, and a 21st century workforce a cornerstone of your

initiatives to drive innovation, job growth, national security, and prosperity in our country. It is vital that these increased investments—within the Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE-SC), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Department of Defense (DOD) science and technology accounts—be included in the final FY25 funding agreement. We must continue to make these investments to ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of discovery and innovation for generations to come.

We look forward to working with you as together we invest in the innovation that our economy demands, and our country deserves.

Sincerely,

The Task Force on American Innovation