The Science & Technology Action Committee (STAC) strongly supports the Task Force on American Innovation’s (TFAI) recent letter to Secretary Granholm and Director Young. The TFAI letter urgently requests that funding levels included in the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget match those authorized in the bipartisan Department of Energy Science for the Future Act, passed as part of the bicameral CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
Click here to read full letter on TFAI’s site: http://www.innovationtaskforce.org/tfai-letter-on-the-administrations-fiscal-year-fy-2024-budget
Full Text Follows
Dear Secretary Granholm and Director Young:
As you continue to develop the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC), The Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI)—an alliance of industry, professional societies, and university organizations—writes to strongly urge that it include funding at the levels authorized in the bipartisan Department of Energy Science for the Future Act, passed as part of the bicameral CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The successful passage of that landmark legislation opened the door to the endless frontier. As you well know, this level of investment is necessary to expand and accelerate American research and development in key focus areas where U.S. leadership is critical.
As America’s largest supporter of research in the physical sciences, DOE SC plays a substantial role in nearly every authorized focus area. The science and technology initiatives of DOE SC employ the skillsets of over 30,000 researchers from across the country, and range in scope from advancing our nation’s search for sustainable clean energy, to positing and proving answers to the universe’s most fundamental questions. Investment in such inquiry not onlycatalyzes American competitiveness, but also demonstrates a valuable return on investment with respect to decarbonization. As such, it is imperative that the Administration request full funding forthese ambitious programs, demonstrating its commitment to advancing American research and development at DOE SC.
The last time America ventured to authorize such robust investments through the original COMPETES legislation, the true financial follow-through fell far short of the goal. Now more than ever, the United States needs robust and sustained funding in these areas to further strengthen the American STEM workforce, advance innovation, promote economic growth, and maintain national security.
The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act was a necessary first step, and must be now followed with the significant investments it authorized. The door is open once again: we ask that you help usher our great nation over the threshold.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this recommendation.
Sincerely,
The Task Force on American Innovation