Congress Passes Stopgap Measure, Relief Talks Resume

Congress has now passed and the President has signed a continuing resolution to keep the government open in the new fiscal year (FY), which started on October 1, 2020. The stopgap measure will allow federal science agencies to continue operating at FY 2020 budget levels. Decisions about FY 2021 appropriations bills have been deferred until December 11. Pandemic relief negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White House restarted earlier this month, after the House of Representatives passed a pared-down version of the Heroes Act. The revised stimulus package trims $1.2 trillion from the initially proposed $3.4 trillion measure, but Republican lawmakers said the $2.2 trillion price tag was still too high. “We’re in very near agreement on all the COVID things that matter,” said Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). “What we’re not in agreement on is about $1 trillion worth of other things.” The updated Heroes Act includes $2.9 billion in emergency relief for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is just short of the $3 billion allocated for the agency in the RISE Act - a measure endorsed by more than 300 higher education, research, industry groups, and associations, including AIBS. The latest House bill would allocate $2.587 billion for NSF’s Research and Related Activities and $300 million for the Education and Human Resources account. The measure also includes $1 million for a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news