Keeping an Eye on Washington

Keep up with developments in Washington on GSA's website, Speaking of Geoscience blog and twitter feed, participate in congressional visits days, read about life on Capitol Hill from the perspective of the GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, engage with GSA's Geology and Society Division, use GSA's position statements and critical issues in communications with elected officials, meet with elected officials in your district, and more!

Events & Briefings

Science in Society – From the Lab to Your Life
On 22 June, join the House Earth & Space Science Caucus for its inaugural Capitol Hill exhibition to experience how Earth and space science innovations are essential to the economy and daily lives.
BUILDING THE MODERN WORLD:
Geoscience that Underlies Our Economic Prosperity
On 12 June, learn about the critical applications of geoscience information in the development and maintenance of urban and rural infrastructure at this congressional briefing.
Showcase of NASA Partnerships & Collaboration
GSA and AGU will exhibit at this 14 June Capitol Hill event that showcases projects working in partnership with NASA to ensure U.S. leadership in human exploration, technology development, space and Earth sciences, and training the next generation of scientists.

Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal
GSA affirms its position.
[more]
Science Agencies Fare Well in 2017
More than halfway through Fiscal Year 2017, federal agencies finally have their appropriations. Signed into law on 5 May, the omnibus spending package slightly boosts spending at most science agencies. [more]
GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellowship
from “The STEM Advocate: Eng Alumna Goes to Washington”
Paczkowski [2016 CSF] says. “We were responding to a timely event and I worked with a variety of stakeholders to draft up the bill and I even got to drop it on the floor of the Senate the day we introduced it. My technical background allowed me to understand how the defeat devices worked and that knowledge was extremely useful when I worked on the bill with my fellow staffers.” [more]
[about the fellowship]

Opposition to Proposed Cuts to the USGS Library Budget
GSA signed a letter to Members of Congress to encourage "continued funding for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Library, one of the world’s largest and most important Earth and natural resources libraries." The FY 2018 budget request would reduce funding to the library by 52 percent.
Scientific Community Expresses Concern about Proposed New Visa Policies
GSA joined more than 50 scientific societies to send comments on a proposed expansion of the information collected as part of the visa application process, expressing concern that "the uncertainties and confusion regarding supplemental questions will have a negative impact, particularly on U.S. higher education and scientific collaborations."
Testimony Supports Geoscience Research Funding
GSA joined 130 institutions to submit testimony in support of NSF, NOAA and NASA that emphasize the contributions geosciences make to national security, economic competitiveness, and public safety. GSA also submitted its own testimony supporting NSF, NASA, and USGS. In addition, GSA joined members of the Energy Sciences Coalition to submit testimony in support of research at DOE’s Office of Science and the USGS Coalition on appropriations for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Abstracts due 1 Aug.