On September 9, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee conducted a hearing about “The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on University Research.” While delivering their opening remarks, Haley Stevens (D-MI), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), chairwoman of the full Committee, spoke about the financial pressures facing researchers and institutions as they begin to emerge from lockdowns and address other disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses at the hearing, including Ryan Muzzio, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, described challenges and delays that they and their colleagues are facing, including the disproportionate impact that women and underrepresented minority scientists experience during the crisis.
The Endocrine Society joined with other scientific societies before and during the hearing on social media to draw attention to and express support for the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act. The RISE Act would authorize approximately $26 billion in emergency relief for federal science agencies, including the NIH, NSF, and others, to allow researchers to safely continue working on federally funded research during this challenging time.
We welcome the Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s efforts to advance the RISE Act and we will continue to advocate for necessary research relief so that we can continue to support researchers during this challenging time and not lose progress on critical endocrine research priorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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