Computing Research Policy Blog


Posts categorized under: General

In Memoriam: Honoring the Legacy of Former House Science Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson


The Computing Research Association is saddened to hear of the passing of former House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. As a long time member of the committee, Chairwoman Johnson was a champion of scientific research, STEM education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the nation’s scientific fields. Her time as […]

Computing Researchers Get Crash Course in Government Advocacy at CRA’s Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI)


By Matt Hazenbush, Director of Communications, and Brian Mosley, Associate Director, Government Affairs  We live in a world dominated by computing. Many of the most significant problems facing the world and our country either have solutions in—or are caused by—computing. Yet, the nation’s elected representatives typically have limited knowledge of the field, creating a critical […]

Fiscal Year 2019 Update: Most of the Budget is Done…Except for what’s Most Important for Researchers


It’s been a busy September from a Congressional appropriations perspective. As of this writing, nine of the twelve appropriations bills have passed, including the Defense, Energy and Water, and Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) bills – a productive pace not seen from Congress in many years. While it’s good these were passed into law, and they do cover some important research agencies, left unfinished is one key bill of concern to the computing research community — the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill, which includes funding for NSF, NIST, NOAA and NASA; more on that in a moment. Until then, here are the details of the pieces of legislative that have passed.

First Update on Science Funding in the Final FY2018 Omnibus


The House Republican leadership tonight finally released their omnibus appropriations bill containing final funding for agencies in FY 2018. You’ll recall that Congress and the Administration reached a budget agreement that would allow an increase to non-defense discretionary spending of about 13 percent for FY 18 and another 3 percent for FY 19. The bill […]

President’s Budget Request a Mixed Bag for Science, but it Could Have Been Much Worse


What a difference a budget deal makes…

The President’s budget request for FY 2019, released yesterday, includes some modest gains and some big losses for Federal science agencies — details below, but on the whole a rather mixed bag for those who believe in the importance of the Federal investment in fundamental research. But it could have been much worse.