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STAC’s Statement On the Federal Government Shutdown

October 1, 2025

October 1, 2025

The co-chairs of the Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), a nonpartisan alliance of nonprofit, academic, foundation and business leaders advocating for greater focus and funding of science and technology, issued the following statement on the federal government shutdown:

A government shutdown delays discoveries and halts progress made by the science & technology (S&T) enterprise that underpins American global leadership, health, and prosperity. Interruption of funding for the S&T enterprise will impose economic damage equivalent to a major recession and undermine American competitiveness in key sectors, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, medical innovations, and more, all while constricting long-term income growth and reducing government revenue.

We urge Congress to pass a FY 2026 budget urgently to ensure the innovations and breakthroughs that happen every day across this country can continue.

The Science & Technology Action Committee (STAC) is a group of 25 non-profit, academic, foundation, and corporate leaders working to dramatically strengthen U.S. science and technology. The Committee is co-chaired by: Bill Novelli, Professor Emeritus and founder of Business for Impact at Georgetown University and former CEO of AARP, Sudip Parikh, CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science Family of Journals, Mary Woolley, President & CEO of Research!America, and Keith Yamamoto, Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy at UCSF and Immediate Past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).