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Budget Talks at Impasse as Lawmakers Depart for Holiday Break

The stopgap measure funding the federal government is set to expire early next year, yet congressional leaders still have not reached agreement on topline spending limits for fiscal year 2024, a key prerequisite to finalizing agency-level budget allocations. House Republicans are pushing to revise the budget agreement that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) negotiated with the White House in the spring. Although that agreement resulted in Congress enacting a budget cap for non-defense spending that is below the current level, a verbal “side deal” not included in the legislative text permits tens of billions of dollars in additional spending on non-defense programs, effectively negating the cut. New House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is arguing that Congress should adhere to the cap set in the legislation. By contrast, the Senate’s spending proposals exceed both the cap and the side deal by billions of dollars by designating the extra money as an emergency measure not subject to the cap. The current impasse has raised fears that Congress will trigger a government shutdown or resort to holding agencies at their current funding levels for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Meanwhile, congressional leaders are also struggling to negotiate a supplemental spending package focused on national security priorities, mainly related to the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. Senate Democrats have advanced a supplemental package totaling around $110 billion while Republicans are insisting that support for Ukraine be tied to changes to U.S. border security policy. Although the package is mostly focused on expanding weapons procurement and humanitarian assistance, a portion addresses other goals such as shoring up supplies of radioisotopes that previously were acquired from Russia. The Democrats’ proposal includes $98 million for the Department of Energy to acquire equipment for producing isotopes, short of the $278 million requested for that purpose by the Biden administration as part of a separate proposal for a supplemental spending package focused on domestic priorities.

As lawmakers weigh potential supplemental spending packages, a set of science advocacy groups is proposing that Congress include $13 billion for R&D-focused activities. The National Science Foundation would receive $5 billion of the total to support efforts such as its nascent Regional Innovation Engines, the prospective National AI Research Resource, and core research and infrastructure. The Department of Energy Office of Science would receive $2 billion in part to launch a major artificial intelligence R&D initiative, microelectronics research centers, additional Energy Earthshot Research Centers, and accelerated facility upgrades. Of the remaining funds, $2.5 billion would go to the Commerce Department’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs, $2.5 billion would go to NASA, and $1.6 billion would go to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The appetite in Congress for such spending is unclear, though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has expressed interest in advancing a bipartisan follow-on to the CHIPS and Science Act that would include funding for strategic technology areas beyond semiconductors.

Editor’s Note: FYI on Recess

The next edition of FYI’s weekly newsletter will be published in the first week of January.

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CCP Committee Proposes Research Security and Tech Development Initiatives

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party adopted a bipartisan report last week that proposes the U.S. “reset” its economic relationship with China in part through new research security measures and controls on technology exports. The recommended actions include:

• Prohibiting U.S. entities from conducting research with Chinese entities that are “involved with military and defense R&D,” such as those on the list of China’s Defense Science and Technology Key Labs developed by the U.S. Air Force
• Requiring research institutions to “obtain an export control license if they intend to use any export-controlled item that has a clear and distinct national security nexus, during the course of research collaboration on critical and emerging technologies with any foreign adversary entity”
• Empowering the president to ban entities owned or controlled by foreign adversaries from selling certain technology products in the U.S. market, including quantum computing, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and surveillance products
• Adding to the disclosure requirements of National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 by requiring federal research funding applicants to disclose past “relations and interest” with foreign government or entities in foreign adversary countries that occurred within the past five years
• Establishing a National Technology Competitiveness Analysis Center at the Department of Energy that would inform decisions on export controls
• Expanding visa screening procedures, including by requiring the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to participate in vetting “high-risk researchers”

The committee also calls for measures to expand U.S. capacity for technological development, such as:

• Establishing a work authorization program for foreign nationals from allied countries who have expertise in key technologies and who would work on projects funded by national security agencies
• Funding the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and DOE Office of Science in a manner that prioritizes technologies relevant to national security and supply chain security
• Creating a mechanism for the Department of Defense to “fund early-stage, capital-intensive emerging technologies with national security applications, with requirements for production in the U.S. or in closely allied nations”
• Establishing a “critical technology industry fund … for building or expanding R&D and advanced production facilities” in the U.S.
• Strengthening the R&D tax credit
• Ensuring the U.S. is “the first country to develop a quantum computer capable of breaking modern-day encryption tools”

The committee does not have the authority to advance legislation of its own, so all of its recommendations will have to be pursued through other committees.

Florida Faculty Seek Clarity on Hiring Students From ‘Countries of Concern’

Over 300 faculty members at the University of Florida have signed a petition to the university’s leadership urgently seeking clarification on restrictions imposed by a law that the Florida legislature passed unanimously in May. Language in the law generally prohibits state colleges and universities from entering any “agreement” or “partnership” with “any foreign principal” from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria, all designated as “countries of concern.” University researchers recently received guidance that, due to the law, they should hold back on hiring graduate student assistants from these countries. The petition observes that more than 1,000 graduate students from those countries enroll in the university every year and asserts that failing to offer paid assistantships will immediately hinder the university in competing for talented students. It also expresses the broader hope that state-level “foreign-influence policy” will not affect the hiring of international students, postdocs, and visiting researchers, regardless of their country of origin. The law was part of a trio Florida enacted aimed at confronting the Chinese Communist Party. Florida has taken a leading role among Republican-led states in advancing the party’s political aims, which also include dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Audit of Research Security Investigations Requested by House Democrats

Last week, three House Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office to review agencies’ procedures for investigating allegations of improper foreign influence over federally funded scientists. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu (D-CA), Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) request GAO determine what due process is available to scientists under investigation and if agencies have procedures and training in place to ensure investigations are free of bias. They also request GAO collect agency data on the outcomes of investigations over the past five years and demographic information on those investigated. They note that more than 100 scientists resigned or were fired as a result of investigations by the National Institutes of Health into nondisclosure of foreign ties and that a majority of those investigated identified as Asian. Chu and Raskin have previously raised concerns about how such investigations are conducted.

DOE Office of Science Asks for Facilities Wish Lists

Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, has asked the office’s six federal advisory committees to weigh in on which facilities construction and upgrade projects it should prioritize over the next 10 years. In a letter dated Dec. 1, Berhe directed each committee to report back by May 2024 on what facility projects in their disciplines are necessary to keep the office “at the forefront of scientific discovery.” For each proposed facility or upgrade, Berhe asked the committees to grade them on their “potential to contribute to world-leading science in the next decade” as well as their “readiness for construction.” A list of potential projects to consider has been provided to each committee, spanning Basic Energy Sciences, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Advanced Scientific Computing Research. In some cases the lists include the estimated project timelines and total costs. The committees are permitted to add additional projects for consideration if they would cost more than $100 million.

DOE Launches Critical and Emerging Technology Office

The Department of Energy announced last week it has opened an Office of Critical and Emerging Technology, as required by President Joe Biden’s recent executive order on AI. The office will coordinate research in areas such as AI, biotechnology, quantum computing, and semiconductors across DOE’s national labs, develop partnerships with academia and industry, and inform policy making. Helena Fu will lead the office while simultaneously serving as DOE’s chief artificial intelligence officer, a position also mandated and defined by Biden’s AI order. Fu testified the following day at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing focusing on AI. She emphasized that, while the office she leads is new, DOE has been working on AI for decades. She said that the national labs have already begun finding ways to use AI to improve wildfire mapping and electricity transmission but are also engaging in red teaming to identify the risks that new AI tools might present. Fu argued throughout the hearing that U.S. strength in AI hinges on its domestic capabilities but that, while some foreign actors are certainly looking to use AI for ill, the country cannot completely sever its research from the rest of the world. “Our ability as an S&T superpower really comes from having the best-in-class facilities and the talent, but also our ability to work with others around the world so that we avoid strategic surprise,” she said.

NSF Restricts Use of AI in Grant Proposal Reviews

The National Science Foundation released a notice last week barring grant application reviewers from uploading proposals, review information, or related records to non-approved generative AI tools. NSF so far has not approved any such tools, but an agency spokesperson told FYI it is exploring how generative AI “might be responsibly applied towards its business processes.” The new policy stems from concern that using generative AI tools in reviews could expose sensitive or confidential information that should be protected behind NSF’s firewalls. Reviewers are still permitted to share publicly available information with publicly available generative AI. NSF also maintains a number of AI systems that reviewers are allowed to use for specific cases. The notice also “encourages” proposers to mark AI-generated elements of their proposals and emphasizes that authors are responsible for any errors or plagiarism in their proposals, regardless of whether they were caused by generative AI.

NSF Accelerating Research Translation Program Makes First Grants

The National Science Foundation announced last week the first set of grants from its new Accelerating Research Translation program, totaling $100 million for 18 universities. The program is part of the Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate and aims to help universities build capacity for translating academic research into “tangible solutions that benefit the public.” Each grantee will receive up to $6 million over four years and is assigned a “mentor” university. In announcing the grantees, NSF noted that half are in EPSCoR jurisdictions — states and territories that have historically received a small fraction of NSF funds.

Senate Confirms Navy Research and Acquisition Chief

By a voice vote last week, the Senate confirmed Nickolas Guertin as assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition, a little over a year from when President Joe Biden first nominated him for the role, Guertin replaces Jay Stefany, who has filled the role on a temporary basis since the departure of James Guerts in January 2021. Guertin previously served as the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester as director of the Operational Test and Evaluation arm of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a role he began in December 2021.

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All events are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.

Monday, December 18

CSIS: “Getting on Track: Space and Airborne Sensors for Hypersonic Missile Defense”
2:00 - 3:30 pm

American Nuclear Society: “Creating a Safe, Secure, and Healthy Global Nuclear Industry”
4:00 - 5:00 pm

Tuesday, December 19

NIST: National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology listening session
11:00 am - 4:45 pm

National Academies: “Committee on Elementary Particle Physics: Progress and Promise,” meeting 15
1:00 - 5:00 pm

NTIA: Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meeting
2:00 - 5:00 pm

National Academies: Helium issues related to high magnetic field science in the US
3:00 - 4:00 pm

Wednesday, December 20

White House: National Space Council meeting

Senate: “The Future of Arms Control and Deterrence”
10:00 am, Foreign Relations Committee

EPA: Board of Scientific Counselors Climate Change and Social and Community Sciences Subcommittee meeting
(continues Thursday)

Thursday, December 21

No events.

Friday, December 22

No events.

Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

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Deadlines indicated in parentheses.

Job Openings

CRS: Research librarian for natural resources, energy, and Earth science (Dec. 28)
AAAS: Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship (Jan. 1)
NSF: Chemistry Division director (Jan. 3)
U.S. Air Force: Chief science officer (Jan. 3)
Optica: Congressional fellowship (Jan. 5)
AIP: Science policy intern (Jan. 7)
NASA: Chief science data officer (Jan. 10)
SPS: Science policy internship (Jan. 15)
NSF: Deputy division director for the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (Feb. 6)
NSPN: National Science Policy Network executive director (ongoing)
UCS: Senior outreach coordinator for Global Security Program (ongoing)

Solicitations

NIST: RFI on the National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (Dec. 22)
NTIA: RFI on National Spectrum Strategy implementation (Jan. 2)
DOE: RFI on proposed interpretive guidance on ‘foreign entity of concern’ definition (Jan. 3)
USGCRP: Request for nominations for authors and scientific/technical Inputs for the First National Nature Assessment (Jan. 4)
NSF: RFI on technologies to enable observations in remote-extreme environments (Jan. 8)
DOE: RFI regarding challenges and opportunities at the interface of wind turbines and radar technology (Jan. 12)
OSTP: RFI on developing a federal environmental justice science, data, and research plan (Jan. 12)
OSTP: RFI on the draft National Plan for Civil Earth Observations (Jan. 16)
NSF: RFI on NSF’s public access plan (Jan. 19)
NIST: RFI on draft interagency guidance on the exercise of march-in rights (Feb. 6)

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

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White House

White House: Statement from President Joe Biden on CHIPS and Science Act preliminary agreement
OSTP: Advancing the frontiers of benefit cost analysis: Federal priorities and directions for future research (report)
OSTP: OSTP advances Biden-⁠Harris administration climate agenda during COP28
E&E News: Behind the scenes in John Podesta’s first year
White House: Biden-Harris administration takes action to accelerate America’s clean transportation future
Politico: The RAND Corporation played key role in Biden’s AI order

Congress

Roll Call: House sends final NDAA to Biden’s desk
HPCwire: NQIA reauthorization unlikely soon, but new report suggests budget directions
The Ripon Forum: America’s quantum leadership (perspective by Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK))
Roll Call: Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) in line for key Democratic spot on NIH oversight panel

Science, Society, and the Economy

Nature: Nature’s 10 people (and one non-human) who helped shape science in 2023
National Academies: Options for a national plan for smart manufacturing (report)
NASA: The ethical, legal, and societal implications of NASA’s Artemis and Moon to Mars missions (interview with Zach Pirtle)
Aspen Institute: The why and the how of public trust in science (report)
The Hill: Cutting federal funding for basic research will hurt the US economy (perspective by Jerry Balentine)

Education and Workforce

Science: NIH advisory group recommends $14,000 boost in postdoc pay
Nature: Grad students still waiting for pay boost one year after historic US research strike
New York Times: Florida law chills Chinese student recruitment
Politico: For AI experts, Biden admin explores updating Schedule A
AAU: AAU, associations urge State Department to extend interview waivers for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants
Science: Researcher loses disability lawsuit against major science funder
National Academies: Preventing and addressing retaliation resulting from sexual harassment in academia (report)
Washington Post: A former White House scientist was scammed out of $655,000. Then came the IRS
NSF: NSF mourns the passing of former NSF Director John Brooks Slaughter

Research Management

NSB: The importance of providing open science (report)
STM: Ethical and practical guidelines for the use of generative AI in the publication process (report)
APS: American Physical Society to offer no cost journal access to scientists in more than 100 lower and middle income countries
Scholarly Kitchen: An interview with Liying Yang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
GAO: Strengthening NIST disclosure requirements and assessing training could improve research security (report)
DOD OIG: Common cybersecurity weaknesses related to the protection of DOD-CUI on contractor networks (report)
China Talk: RAND CEO Jason Matheny on the science and art of public policy (audio interview)

Labs and Facilities

AP: US nuclear regulators to issue construction permit for a reactor that uses molten salt
Los Alamos National Lab: Triad announces Jay Sures as new chair of the board
PNNL: Pacific Northwest National Lab creates center for AI
Science: Researchers protest end of NSF grants program using data from its $1 billion ecology network

Computing and Communications

Research Professional: EU aims to speed up use of AI in science
The Atlantic: AI is pushing science into an age of uncertainty
GAO: Artificial intelligence: agencies have begun implementation but need to complete key requirements (report)
Reuters: US and China race to shield secrets from quantum computers
Natcast: SemiUS announces new name (Natcast) and a year end progress report
The Economist: Jensen Huang says Moore’s Law is dead. Not quite yet
State Department: State Department leads successful US delegation to World Radiocommunication Conference in Dubai
SpaceNews: WRC-23 reaches tough compromise on satellite power limit review
SpaceNews: Satellite transmission power battle drags on after WRC-23

Space

SpacePolicyOnline: Senators skeptical of White House mission authorization proposal
SpaceNews: House committee debates space mining
Space Review: Creating a Venus exploration program
Scientific American: The Mars Sample Return mission is at a dangerous crossroads (perspective by Christopher Wanjek)
Nature: Korean lunar mission provides a view into the Moon’s dark spaces
IEEE Spectrum: Civilian satellites descend into very low earth orbit
New York Times: New Mexico spaceport leaves economic dreams grounded
SpaceNews: China launches mystery reusable spaceplane for third time
SpaceNews: Agencies sign agreement to collaborate on space weather activities

Weather, Climate, and Environment

Inside Climate News: Will the American Geophysical Union cut all ties with the fossil fuel industry?
Inside Climate News: The US may not have won over critics in Dubai, but the Biden administration helped keep the process alive
NOAA: Arctic report card: Update for 2023
Issues in Science and Technology: Apurva Dave builds connections between national security and climate (audio interview)
GAO: AI in natural hazard modeling: Severe storms, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires (report)

Energy

DOE: DOE releases vision outlining the path to advancing fusion energy science and technology
E&E News: How a DOE loan guarantee put Sunnova in Republican crosshairs
Livermore Lab: New analysis outlines national opportunities to remove CO2 at the gigaton scale (report)
CBO: Carbon capture and storage in the US (report)
E&E News: Carbon removal isn’t weird anymore. That worries scientists
DOE: DOE releases vision outlining the path to advancing fusion energy science and technology
American Nuclear Society: Three new inertial fusion energy hubs have distinct, laser-focused missions
Nature: US nuclear-fusion lab enters new era: Achieving ‘ignition’ over and over
Nature: Annie Kritcher and her team helped to achieve the first-ever fusion energy gain
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: COP28 and the nuclear energy numbers racket (perspective by Sharon Squassoni)
The Atlantic: Fossil-fuel-nonproliferation treaty gaining popularity at UN’s annual climate meeting

Defense

New York Times: Fund for nuclear waste exposure victims in limbo as Congress balks at cost
Inside Defense: Congress would order studies on Air Force force design and Space National Guard
Inside Defense: Space-based interceptors set for new ‘independent’ assessment; IDA to update 2011 study
GAO: Actions needed to improve DOD’s AI workforce management (report)
New York Times: Congress orders UFO records released but drops bid for broader disclosure

Biomedical

New York Times: Mandy Cohen, new CDC director, tries to foster trust in a battered agency
NIH: Lyric Jorgenson named NIH associate director for science policy
Wall Street Journal: The forgotten man of mRNA research
Federation of American Scientists: Bio X AI: Policy recommendations for a new frontier
Issues in Science and Technology: To offer evidence to policymakers on COVID-19, the National Academies formed an unprecedented network of social science experts who offered advice

International Affairs

Reuters: US-China science pact renewal ‘not a given,’ US ambassador to China says
ITIF: The Hamilton Index, 2023: China is running away with strategic industries
Rhodium Group: Spread thin: China’s science and technology spending in an economic slowdown
Science: France has big plans to reform research, but key details remain vague
European Commission: European Innovation Council allocates €1.2 billion for strategic technologies
European Commission: EU companies doubled R&D investment growth in 2022
Chemistry World: The impact of war on Ukraine’s research sector
Science|Business: Industry calls for more transatlantic cooperation in semiconductor research