Open Letter to Congress on Science Funding

Senator Dianne Feinstein Chairman Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee Senator Lamar Alexander Ranking Member Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee March 1, 2011 Dear Chairman Feinstein and Sen. Alexander, We write in regards to the current proposed budget cuts on science, and the impact the cuts would have on the competitiveness of this nation, both in the short and long term. The economic health and world leadership of this country depends on an unbroken cycle of innovation, rooted in our ability to attract and educate new waves of creative young scientists and engineers, each year. It is this cycle of innovation, whose continuation depends on funding for basic research, that drives both basic and applied sciences, and the creation of new technologies and treatments that define and improve the quality of everyday life. In order for the cycle to remain unbroken, and for the nation's position of leadership to continue, basic ...