Today, President Trump unveiled his proposed budget for 2019. Included within this proposal are steep increases in defense spending and infrastructure, much of which comes at the expense of funding for the federal scientific agencies that provide the technical expertise to realize the President’s policy priorities. The NSF would be flat funded, receiving no increase … Read more
Last night, in his first State of the Union speech to Congress and the American people, President Trump addressed some of the challenges and opportunities facing the nation. In his remarks, the President talked about a number of issues, including immigration and infrastructure, that his Administration has prioritized in the near future. What is especially … Read more
For the second time in five years, congressional and presidential impasses have resulted in a shutdown of the federal government. The repercussions of this shutdown destabilize scientific federal agencies that are essential to the nation’s economic stability, public health, and national security. The far-reaching costs of such a shutdown are very real. For example, in … Read more
We are experimenting with the introduction of scientific “neighborhoods” – Earth Interior, Earth Covering, Beyond Earth, and Scientific Nexis – in New Orleans at the Fall Meeting. The convention center is very long and spread out, and so to make more time for conversation between disciplines and reduce travel time, the Poster Hall and Session … Read more
As many of you may know, AGU has been working for the past several years to understand how our science structure could be expanded to better enable people to collaborate and connect to others with shared interests and goals. The Affiliation and Engagement Task Force investigated a wide variety of options that might better serve … Read more
Earth and space scientists work in key positions throughout the federal government. As civil servants, atmospheric scientists at NOAA, seismologists at the USGS, and hydrologists at the EPA– and frankly all other agency scientists – work to help fulfill their agencies’ missions and safeguard the health, economy, and security of all Americans. That’s why it’s … Read more
President Trump campaigned as a proponent of technological innovation and development. Yet his proposed fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget slashes funding for research programs at the Department of Energy (DOE). Congress isn’t bound to follow the President’s proposed budget, but last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY2018 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, … Read more
“We need to tell that story,” said my Senator, after I told him how NOAA’s Sea Grant Program budget is only $73 million/yr, even though it helps hundreds of communities to prepare for hurricanes and storm surges and manage coastlines1. I suspected that he would be a strong supporter of science, but I didn’t realize … Read more
Across the United States, local leaders are stepping up their commitment to climate adaptation and mitigation. In addition to our public voice about the urgent need to address climate change, AGU, working with U.S. Global Change Research Program and many other partners, is honored to support those local leaders through the Resilience Dialogues. At the … Read more
The congressional appropriations processes for FY 18 – in which both the House of Representatives and the Senate decide how to allocate funds among all federal agencies, is beginning in earnest. Your voice and participation advancing the value of science is needed more than ever. There is no better time to do this than in … Read more