Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader McCarthy:

The Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI)—an alliance of industry, professional societies, and university organizations—writes to thank you and your colleagues for the successful advancement of the FY22 omnibus appropriations legislation that ensures continuity of mission for federal research and development (R&D) agencies and provides important and needed increases to federal basic research investments essential to American innovation, competitiveness, and security.

We also write to urge that the final conference agreement of the pending competitiveness legislation – H.R. 4521, the “America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre- Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act,” and S. 1260, the “U.S. Innovation and Competition (USICA) Act,” also include supplemental appropriations for the research programs authorized therein. Specifically, we urge supplemental appropriations for the science and technology programs, that have received robust, long-term and bipartisan authorizations in these bills, specifically the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With FY22 appropriations decision now complete, it is imperative that Congress fund the ambitious authorizations for these programs by making an immediate down payment in the final bill that can be sustained in FY23 and beyond.

Now, more than ever, we must bolster the U.S. research enterprise that is essential to our nation remaining the global innovation leader. 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 their investments in R&D rapidly, while the proportion of total U.S. R&D funded by the U.S. government is getting smaller.

Thank you for your leadership and continued support of federal research and innovation investments. The United States needs robust and sustained funding in these areas to further strengthen the American STEM workforce, innovation, economic growth, and national security. The time for that commitment is now. We stand ready to help reach a bipartisan agreement on this important legislation.

Sincerely,

The Task Force on American Innovation

CC: Members of the U.S. House and Senate Conference for S. 1260/H.R. 4521