ECS co-authored a letter to Congressional leadership expressing concerns regarding the August 7 Executive Order (EO), “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking.” The letter was signed by more than 60 scientific societies.
“ECS is a non-partisan, non-political organization,” said Christopher Jannuzzi, ECS Executive Director & CEO. “However, we recognize the right and responsibility to engage when legislative or regulatory actions directly impact our mission, operations, or the communities we serve. Recent US legislation has raised significant concerns in our community and is negatively affecting our members. This letter exemplifies ECS’s commitment to upholding its mission and advocating responsibly on behalf of our members and the broader technical community.”
Key concerns
The letter urges Congress to exercise its oversight authority to prevent the politicization of scientific and medical research funding—long recognized as the gold standard for supporting groundbreaking discoveries and driving technological innovation worldwide. It also calls on Congress to provide clear guidance to federal agencies as they implement the EO.
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Political Appointees [Sec. 3(a)(vii)(c): Congress is asked to ensure that independent peer review remains the cornerstone of the federal scientific grantmaking process so that the most meritorious research continues to be funded under this and all future administrations.
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Termination of Grants for Convenience [Sec. 6(a)(i)]: Congress is urged to safeguard the integrity of federal research funding by directing science agencies not to alter grant terms and conditions to allow termination for convenience, thereby protecting research from short-term political pressures.
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Repeat Grant Recipients [Sec. 4(b)(iv)]: Congress is encouraged to collaborate with the scientific community, including the National Science Board, to review current practices and develop measures that ensure a diverse and balanced portfolio of grant recipients.
The letter concludes that the EO adds inefficiencies to the grant process and that Congress must stop the Administration’s proposal to prioritize research proposals from academic institutions with the lowest indirect (Facilities & Administration) cost rates.
Letter recipients
The letter was sent in September to:
- Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives
- Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
- John Thune, Senate Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
- Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, U.S. Senate
Read more here.
For more information on ECS advocacy, go to https://www.electrochem.org/science-advocacy.