CNSF FY 2025 Conference Letter

October 1, 2024

The Honorable Patty Murray Chair
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Tom Cole Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Susan Collins Vice Chair
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair Murray, Vice Chair Collins, Chairman Cole, and Ranking Member DeLauro:

On behalf of the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) – an alliance of over 140 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities, and businesses advocating for the nation’s STEM enterprise – we urge you to fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) at no less than $11.9 billion as you finalize Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) appropriations. NSF investments are key to bolstering U.S. economic vitality and national security by funding highly meritorious research; building and fostering U.S. STEM education and workforce programs; and supporting scientists and engineers with cutting-edge facilities.

We appreciate your efforts to protect investments in the NSF during the FY2025 appropriations process. After a disappointing 5% (or 8% if you include the FY2023 supplemental funding) cut to NSF in FY2024, it is more important than ever that Congress restore agency funding this year. Failing to do so could undermine NSF’s ability to support flourishing innovation ecosystems through the Regional Innovation Engines program; delay essential infrastructure projects; and hamper critical emerging technologies for example, the Artificial Intelligence Institutes and the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes.

We are particularly concerned that the House FY2025 bill cuts NSF’s STEM Education funding by $172 million or 15%. This account funds critical workforce training programs, graduate fellowships and traineeships, research to improve STEM education at all levels, and programs that broaden participation in STEM and ensure that we can harness talent from all backgrounds and regions of our country. Cuts to these programs would exacerbate workforce shortages in emerging technologies and could leave the country without the researchers, technicians, and other STEM workers of the future.

As you know, Congress passed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, laying out an essential plan to ensure the country maintains its leadership in innovation and critical technologies. The law authorizes

$16.7 billion for NSF in FY2025 and requires the agency to undertake significant new work to keep our country competitive.

The allocations and appropriations that Congress has proposed this year fail to equip NSF with the funding necessary to meet these challenges. Accordingly, we encourage both the House and Senate to ensure that the final bill provides $11.9 billion for NSF, and that the STEM Education account is not reduced.

As you work to finalize FY2025 appropriations, we urge you to fully fund NSF and thank you for your continued support of the millions of scientists, engineers, students, and entrepreneurs impacted by NSF.

Sincerely,
The Coalition for National Science Funding

American Anthropological Association

American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)

American Association for the Advancement of Science American Association of Geographers

American Association of Physics Teachers American Astronomical Society

American Astronomical Society American Astronomical Society American Chemical Society

American Crystallographic Association American Economic Association

American Educational Research Association American Geophysical Union

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)

American Institute of Biological Sciences American Mathematical Society American Physical Society

American Physiological Society American Political Science Association

American Psychological Association Services, Inc. American Psychological Association Services, Inc. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology American Society for Microbiology

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science

American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Mechanical Engineers American Society of Plant Biologists American Sociological Association American Statistical Association

ASME

Association for Psychological Science Association for Women in Mathematics Association of American Medical Colleges/AAMC Association of American Universities

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Association of Research Libraries

Association of Science and Technology Centers Atlanta University Center Consortium

AUCC, Inc.

Battelle Memorial Institute Biophysical Society

Boise State University

Bose McKinney & Evans, LLP Boston University

Brown University

Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation Coalition for the Life Sciences

Computing Research Association Consortium of Social Science Associations Cornell University

Council of Graduate Schools

Council of Scientific Society Presidents Council on Undergraduate Research Dartmouth College

Duke University

Ecological Society of America Entomological Society of America Federation of American Scientists

Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences/FABBS

Forge Policy Solutions Geological Society of America George Mason University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard University

Harvey Mudd College IEEE-USA

Indiana University Lehigh University

Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC Massachusetts Institute of Technology Materials Research Society Mathematical Assoc. of America Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University Microsoft

National Association of Marine Laboratories National Postdoctoral Association

Natural Science Collections Alliance New America

Northern Illinois University Northwestern University Oregon Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania State University, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research

Population Association of America

Princeton University – Office of Government Affairs Research!America

Rochester Institute of Technology Rutgers University

Sage Publishing, Inc.

Seismological Society of America

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Society for Neuroscience

Society for Research in Child Development

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) SPIE

Stanford University

Stevens Institute of Technology Strangeworks, Inc.

Syracuse University

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society The Ohio State University

The Quider Group, LLC Tufts University

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research University of California – Los Angeles

University of California System University of Cincinnati University of Colorado – Boulder University of Florida

University of Illinois System University of Iowa University of Memphis University of Michigan University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of Vermont University of Washington

University of Wisconsin – Madison US Ignite, Inc.

Vanderbilt University

Virginia Commonwealth University Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Yale University

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