157 members of Congress sign letter in support of NSF

Each year, Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) sends a "Dear Colleague" letter to the chair and ranking members of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over NSF. AIBS and other scientific organizations have spent the past 6 weeks encouraging other members of Congress to sign the letter, showing their support for NSF. Thanks to everyone's efforts, 157 members of Congress have signed the letter — that is two more signatures than last year.

The number of signatures on the letter is significant because it shows broad bipartisan support, making it easier for Reps. Mollohan and Walsh (chair and ranking members of the appropriations subcommittee) to justify providing large increases for the agency. As the budget for this year is extremely tight, such a broad show of support is key in ensuring that NSF is not cut during the appropriations cycle for FY05.

The Ehlers letter urges the chair and ranking member of the VA-HUD Appropriations subcommittee to grant NSF as large an increase as possible over the President's request for FY05. The President's request for this year is $5.7 billion - $1.7 billion less than what Congress authorized for NSF in FY05 in the 2002 reauthorization bill. If the President's request is approved, NSF will receive only a slight increase (3%), with some research directorates, including the Biological Sciences Directorate, barely keeping pace with inflation.

AIBS would like to thank all members of the science community who called or wrote their representatives as part of this effort!

A copy of the letter and all 157 signatures (448k pdf) can be downloaded here. An alphabetical list of the members who signed the letter is below.

• Abercrombie, Neil (D-HI, 1st)
• Ackerman, Gary L. (D-NY, 5th)
• Allen, Thomas H., (D-ME, 1st)
• Andrews, Robert E. (D-NJ, 1st)
• Baird, Brian (D-WA, 3rd)
• Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI, 2nd)
• Ballance, Frank (D-NC, 01)
• Beauprez, Bob (R-CO, 7th)
• Bell, Chris (D-TX, 25)
• Berman, Howard L. (D-CA, 28th)
• Biggert, Judy (R-IL, 13th)
• Bishop, Tim (D-NY, 1)
• Boehlert, Sherwood L. (R-NY, 24)
• Boswell, Leonard L. (D-IA, 3rd)
• Brady, Robert A. (D-PA, 1st)
• Brown, Sherrod (D-OH, 13th)
• Burgess, Michael, (R-TX, 26)
• Burr, Richard (R-NC,5th)
• Calvert, Ken (R-CA, 43rd)
• Camp, Dave (R-MI, 4th)
• Capps, Lois (D-CA, 23)
• Capuano, Michael E. (D-MA, 8th)
• Cardin, Benjamin L., (D-MD, 3rd)
• Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA, 18)
• Carter, John R. (R-TX, 31st)
• Chandler, Ben (D-KY, 6th)
• Clay, William (D-MO, 1st)
• Conyers, John (D-MI, 14th)
• Cooper, Jim (D-TN, 5)
• Costello, Jerry F. (D-IL, 12th)
• Cummings, Elijah E. (D-MD, 7th)
• Davis, Danny K. (D-IL, 7th)
• Davis, Lincoln (D-TN, 4)
• Davis, Susan A. (D-CA, 49th)
• Davis, Thomas M. (R-VA, 11th)
• DeFazio, Peter A. (D-OR, 4th)
• DeGette, Diana (D-CO, 1st)
• Delahunt, William D. (D-MA, 10th)
• DeLauro, Rosa L. (D-CT, 3rd)
• Dingell, John D. (D-MI, 16th)
• Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX, 10th)
• Doyle, Mike F. (D-PA, 14th)
• Ehlers, Vernon J. (R-MI, 3rd)
• Engel, Eliot L. (D-NY, 17th)
• English, Phil (R-PA, 3)
• Eshoo, Anna G. (D-CA, 14th)
• Etheridge, Bob (D-NC, 2nd)
• Evans, Lane (D-IL, 17th)
• Filner, Bob (D-CA, 51)
• Ford, Harold E. (D-TN, 9th)
• Frank, Barney (D-MA, 4th)
• Frost, Martin (D-TX,24)
• Gerlach, Jim (R-PA, 6th)
• Gingrey, John P. (R-GA, 11th)
• Gonzales, Charles A. (D-TX, 20th)
• Gordon, Bart (D-TN, 6th)
• Green, Gene (D-TX, 29)
• Green, Mark (R-WI, 8th)
• Greenwood, Jim (R-PA, 8th)
• Grijalva, Raul (D-AZ, 7)
• Gutierrez, Luis V. (D-IL, 4th)
• Gutknecht, Gil (R-MN, 1)
• Hall, Ralph M. (R-TX, 4th)
• Hayworth, J.D. (R-AZ, 5)
• Hill, Baron (D-IN, 9)
• Hinchey, Maurice (D-NY, 22th)
• Hinojosa, RubȮ (D-TX, 15th)
• Hoeffel, Joseph M. (D-PA, 13th)
• Holt, Rush D. (D-NJ, 12th)
• Honda, Michael M. (D-CA, 15th)
• Hooley, Darlene (D-OR, 5)
• Inslee, Jay (D-WA, 1st)
• Israel, Steve (D-NY, 2nd)
• Jackson-Lee, Sheila (D-TX, 18th)
• Jefferson, William J. (D-LA, 2nd)
• John, Chris (D-LA, 7th)
• Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D-TX, 30th)
• Johnson, Timothy V. (R-IL, 15th)
• Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH, 11th)
• Kildee, Dale E. (D-MI, 5)
• Kind, Ron (D-WI, 3rd)
• Kleczka, Jerry (D-WI, 4th)
• Lampson, Nick, (D-TX, 9)
• Langevin, James (D-RI, 2)
• Lantos, Tom (D-CA, 12th)
• Larsen, Rick (D-WA, 2nd)
• Larson, John B. (D-CT, 1st)
• Leach, James A. (R-IA, 2)
• Lee, Barbara (D-CA, 9th)
• Levin, Sander M. (D-MI, 12th)
• Lewis, John (D-GA, 5th)
• Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA, 16th)
• Maloney, Carolyn (D-NY, 14)
• Markey, Edward J. (D-MA, 7th)
• Matheson, Jim (D-UT, 2)
• Matsui, Robert (D-CA, 5)
• McCarthy, Carolyn (D-NY, 4th)
• McCarthy, Karen (D-MO, 5th)
• McCollum, Betty (D-MN, 4th)
• McCotter, Thad (R-MI, 11)
• McDermott, Jim (D-WA, 7th)
• McGovern, James P. (D-MA, 3rd)
• McHugh, John M. (R-NY, 23rd)
• McInnis, Scott (R-CO, 3rd)
• McIntyre, Mike (D-NC, 7th)
• McNulty, Michael R. (D-NY, 21st)
• Meehan, Martin T. (D-MA, 5th)
• Meeks, Gregory (D-NY, 6th)
• Michaud, Michael (D-ME, 2)
• Millender-McDonald, Juanita (D-CA, 37th)
• Miller, Brad (D-NC, 13)
• Miller, George (D-CA, 7)
• Moore, Dennis (D-KS, 3rd)
• Moran, James P. (D-VA, 8th)
• Nadler, Jerrold (D-NY, 8th)
• Napolitano, Grace F. (D-CA, 34rd)
• Neal, Richard E. (D-MA, 2nd)
• Nethercutt, George R., Jr. (R-WA, 5th)
• Oberstar, James (D-MN, 8)
• Owens, Major (D-NY, 11)
• Pallone, Frank, Jr. (D-NJ, 6th)
• Payne, Donald M. (D-NJ, 10th)
• Platts, Tom (R-PA, 19th)
• Price, David E. (D-NC, 4th)
• Quinn, Jack (R-NY, 27)
• Reyes, Silvestre (D-TX, 16th)
• Rogers, Mike (R-MI, 8)
• Ruppersberger, Dutch (D-MD, 2)
• Rush, Bobby L. (D-IL, 1st)
• Sanchez, Linda (D-CA, 39)
• Sanders, Bernie (I-VT, at large)
• Schakowsky, Janice (D-IL, 9)
• Schiff, Adam (D-CA, 29)
• Sherman, Brad (D-CA, 27)
• Simmons, Rob (R-CT, 2nd)
• Slaughter, Louise McIntosh (D-NY, 28th)
• Smith, Adam (D-WA, 9th)
• Smith, Lamar (R-TX, 21)
• Smith, Nick (R-MI, 7th)
• Strickland, Ted (D-OH, 6)
• Stupak, Bart (D-MI, 01)
• Sweeney, John E. (R-NY, 20th)
• Tauscher, Ellen O. (D-CA, 10th)
• Thompson, Bennie G. (D-MS, 2nd)
• Thompson, Mike (D-CA, 1st)
• Tierney, John F. (D-MA, 6th)
• Udall, Mark (D-CO, 2nd)
• Udall, Tom (D-NM, 3rd)
• Upton, Fred (R-MI, 6)
• Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD, 08)
• Watson, Diane E. (D-CA, 33rd)
• Watt, Melvin L. (D-NC, 12th)
• Waxman, Henry (D-CA, 30)
• Weiner, Anthony D. (D-NY, 9th)
• Weldon, Curt (R-PA, 7th)
• Woolsey, Lynn C. (D-CA, 6th)
• Wu, David (D-OR, 1st)

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