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What’s Ahead
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| An early conceptual sketch of the Mars 2020 rover. The rover is among the projects supported in the NASA Transition Authorization bill expected to be reintroduced, very possibly this week. (Image credit – NASA/JPL-Caltech) |
NASA Transition Bill Set for Revival
SpacePolicyOnline and SpaceNews report that the Senate is readying a new NASA policy bill, and that negotiators have been working to ensure it will move quickly through both chambers. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) told SpaceNews he thinks the bill will be passed in February. The bill is expected to be nearly identical to the bipartisan “NASA Transition Authorization Act,” which nearly passed late last year and was designed to provide policy continuity through the changeover in presidential administration (see FYI 2016 #158).
Science Committee to Hold First Meeting and Hearing of New Congress
On Tuesday morning, the House Science Committee will convene to adopt committee rules and conduct other organizational business. Immediately following that meeting, the committee will hold a hearing entitled “Making EPA Great Again” to examine the agency’s “process for evaluating and using science during its regulatory decision making activities.” Some congressional Republicans have maintained that the scientific justification for many EPA regulations is insufficient, and they plan to reintroduce the “Science Advisory Board Reform Act” and the “Secret Science Reform Act” to alter the way the agency makes regulatory decisions.
Committee Republicans are also drawing attention this week to new claims, made by a recently retired NOAA scientist over the weekend, that NOAA did not follow proper procedure in preparing a major 2015 climate change science study for publication.
Cabinet Nominees Awaiting Floor Votes
Many of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees have now cleared committee and await floor votes in the Senate. A vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary is anticipated on Tuesday. Two Republicans have said they will vote against her, leaving her confirmation at risk. Other nominees awaiting floor votes include:
- Tom Price for health and human services secretary,
- Rick Perry for energy secretary,
- Wilbur Ross for commerce secretary,
- Ryan Zinke for interior secretary,
- Scott Pruitt for EPA administrator, and
- Mick Mulvaney for director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Democratic senators have resisted certain nominees, leading to delays and the use of majoritarian procedures to advance nominees forward. Voting could stretch on for some weeks.
President’s Budget Request Not Expected Soon
President Trump will miss the Feb. 6 deadline under budget law for submitting a budget request to Congress. It is not unusual for new presidents to take longer to unveil their first budgets. For instance, President Obama did not submit his full budget request to Congress until May 7, 2009. Trump’s selection for director of White House Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, has yet to clear Congress, but has said he hopes to complete the budget request by April or May. Congress, meanwhile, must still work out appropriations for fiscal year 2017. A continuing resolution passed in December is funding the government at fiscal year 2016 levels until April 28 (see FYI 2016 #153).
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In Case You Missed It Scientific Organizations Respond to Travel Restriction
A letter opposing President Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order restricting travel to the U.S. has been signed by over 170 universities and scientific organizations, including AIP and seven of its Member Societies (see FYI #12). The order bars nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—all predominantly Muslim nations—from entering the country for a period of 90 days. Over the weekend, a judge halted the order nationwide and federal officials are complying. Further legal proceedings are expected this week.
March for Science Set for April 22
The organizers of the March for Science being planned for Washington, D.C. and other cities announced last week that the event will take place on April 22, which is also Earth Day.
House Science Committee Releases Agenda, Subcommittee Assignments
On Feb. 1, the House Science Committee released its list of priorities for the 115th Congress. As reported in further detail in FYI #14, these include reforming regulatory procedure at EPA; adjusting program balance at NASA and the Department of Energy; reauthorizing the National Science Foundation, certain programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and STEM education programs; and conducting oversight on cybersecurity efforts.
The committee also released its subcommittee assignments last week. A notable change from last year is that Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) will no longer chair the Environment Subcommittee, where he has pushed reforms to the architecture of U.S. satellite programs. On Feb. 2, an opinion piece in the The Hill reported that Bridenstine is actively campaigning for the job of NASA administrator.
House Passes Domestic Nuclear Detection Bill
On Jan. 31, the House passed the “Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act” on a voice vote. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and directs the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to develop a strategy to improve its efforts and to identify and address “research challenges.” The bill responds to issues raised by a 2015 Government Accountability Office report.
Trump Picks Gorsuch for Supreme Court
On Jan. 31, President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to take the spot on the Supreme Court that has been vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia died almost one year ago. Gorsuch is widely considered to have a keen legal mind and to hold views essentially aligned with Scalia’s. However, in contrast with Scalia, Gorsuch opposes the “Chevron” doctrine developed in the 1984 case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. The doctrine holds that courts should generally defer to the expertise of regulatory agencies rather than attempt to adjudicate for themselves whether regulations are well justified.
APS Panel Looks to Future of Science Policy
On Jan. 28, a plenary session on “Science Policy in the 21st Century” at an American Physical Society meeting in Washington, D.C., explored the political and cultural challenges that science may face in the coming years (see FYI #15). The speakers were three physicists with high-level experience in science policy: AAAS CEO Rush Holt, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), and Cherry Murray, who just stepped down as director of the Department of Energy Office of Science.
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Events This Week
Monday, Feb. 6 No events
NOAA: Science Advisory Board teleconference
4:00 – 5:30 pm, public access at NOAA SSMC 3 (1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD)
Members of the public will not be able to dial in to the meeting.
Philosophical Society of Washington: “After the James Webb Space Telescope”
A lecture by John Grunsfeld, former head of NASA Science Mission Directorate
8:00 pm, Cosmos Club (2170 Florida Ave. NW, DC)
Monday, Feb. 13 AEI: “Are we in a second Renaissance?”
5:00 – 6:00 pm, American Enterprise Institute (1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC)
Video will be posted after the event.
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Opportunities AMS Seeks Applicants for Summer Policy Colloquium
Registration is open for the American Meteorological Society’s Summer Policy Colloquium, which will be held June 4 to June 13 in Washington, D.C. The 10-day immersion program in science policy is aimed at graduate students, faculty, and professionals working in the earth and atmospheric sciences. The deadline to register is March 31.
Sign Up for ‘Signal Boost, a New APS Advocacy Newsletter
The American Physical Society has launched Signal Boost, a monthly email newsletter focusing on science advocacy. If you would like to receive Signal Boost, you can sign up here.
‘Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering’ Workshop Approaching
The Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering coalition will be holding a workshop April 2 to April 5 for undergraduate and graduate students in science, engineering, and mathematics who are interested in learning about science policy and advocacy. The workshop will be held at the headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. Sponsoring institutions may send up to two students each. AIP is one of the founding organizations of CASE.
Know of an upcoming science policy opportunity? Email us at fyi@aip.org.Know of an upcoming science policy event? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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