118th congress
118th Congress: Convened on 1/3/2023 and will end 1/3/2025.
House Science Committee Approves Authorization and Oversight Plan
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on February 8 to organize and establish the committee rules. The hearing was also used to review and accept the committee’s Authorization and Oversight Plan for the new term. The Authorization and Oversight Plan details the committee’s rules, authorizations, and priorities. Among the plan’s priorities include reauthorizations of several federal agencies and oversight of recently enacted bills, including the CHIPS and Science Act (previous COSSA coverage). The plan prioritizes research, notably with a focus on STEM, and the protection of research from foreign theft. The House Science Committee acknowledged the…
118th Congress: Profile of the House Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee
As its name suggests, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) is responsible for crafting funding legislation for the Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Labor (DOL), as well as other independent agencies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Council on Disability. The LHHS Subcommittee is one of the most sought-after appointments in the House. In recent weeks, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), Chair of the full House Appropriations Committee, announced Republican subcommittee appointments. Rep. Robert Aderholt…
118th Congress: Profile of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
Now that the fight over who will serve as Speaker of the House has been settled, Congressional committees are starting to take shape, albeit later than originally planned. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) has been chosen to serve as chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee; Lucas served as Ranking Member in the last Congress. In a press release, Lucas stated his hope to continue working in a bipartisanship manner with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking Democrat. Lofgren replaces Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) who retired at the end of the last Congress. However, not all of Lucas’ stated…
House Votes to Establish Select Committee on China
On January 10, the House of Representatives established a new Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. The Committee, which will have bipartisan membership and will be chaired by Mike Gallagher (R-WI), is authorized to hold public hearings and “to investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.” However, the Committee will not have legislative authority, meaning it will not have the authority to develop or consider legislation. The establishment of the Committee is another…
Sen. Chuck Grassley Seeking Information on Science Fellows Serving in the Biden Administration
In December, Politico reported on what some view as a growing influence of Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, in the Biden Administration. The article cited financial support provided by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), which receives funding from Schmidt, for salaries of fellows serving in the Administration under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program. The IPA program is widely used across the federal government to allow for the temporary placement of non-governmental employees to federal agency posts for a short period of time “when this movement serves a sound public purpose.” The employees’ salaries are paid by their…
118th Congress Convenes Amidst Historic Speaker Conflict
The 118th Congress has officially kicked off with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) winning the speakership in the House on January 7 after a protracted fight within the Republican party. All House members were sworn in upon McCarthy’s election; reelected and newly elected Senators were sworn in on January 3. While many questions remain, details about what we can expect this year under the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate are starting to emerge. This week, the House passed its rules package for the 118th Congress, which includes several provisions making headlines. In order to secure the votes needed to win the…
Big Changes Coming in 118th Congress; Watch COSSA’s Post-Election Webinar
While some races still need to be called, notably, the Senate race in Georgia, there are some things we can be certain about now that we are past the November midterm elections. For example, come January 3 and the swearing-in of the 118th Congress: COSSA discussed some of these changes and possible committee and leadership shakeups during the November 17 post-election Headlines webinar. A recording is available here. COSSA will be closely monitoring the activities and appointments of the 118th Congress and will be calling on members to engage with elected officials early in 2023.
Rep. David Price, Longtime Social Science Champion, Announces Retirement
Representative David Price (D-NC), one of Congress’s only social scientists, announced that he will not seek reelection in 2022. Price was first elected to Congress in 1987 after serving as a professor of political science at Duke University and has been a vocal champion of federally funded research and the social and behavioral sciences in particular over the course of his more than 30 years in the House. He memorably rose to the defense of the National Science Foundation’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) after attempts to defund it in 2014. Price’s retirement will leave open a seat…