On December 1, 2020, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—a panel of independent scientific experts on vaccines that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—approved the recommendation that health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities should receive the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations.

As Congress seeks to finalize fiscal year 2021 (FY21) appropriations legislation, we urge Congress to negotiate and pass the FY21 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill and make a significant funding increase for NSF a high priority.

The latest Public Policy Report has been released. The report provides analysis and communication on important issues in the scientific community.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations released all twelve fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriation bills on November 10, 2020. The bills will forego Committee markups and debate within the Senate and instead serve as a starting point for bicameral negotiations on an omnibus spending agreement.

On November 6, 2020, the White House abruptly removed Michael Kuperberg from his position as Executive Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which oversees the production of the National Climate Assessment (NCA)—a scientific report on climate change that is congressionally mandated to be prepared every four years by scientists from 13 federal agencies.

House Science Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) have criticized the appointment of Dr. Jason Richwine, an independent public policy analyst, to a new senior role at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Sixteen organizations, as part of the scientific community, would like to thank Majority Leader Hoyer and Representatives Connolly and Maloney for introducing the “Saving the Civil Service Act” to reverse the recent “Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service” that would create a new classification of “Schedule F” employees serving in "confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating positions” and deprive these employees of their civil service protections.

Are you a science graduate student looking to make a difference in science policy and funding? The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is now accepting applications for the 2021 Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. This award recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who are demonstrating an interest and aptitude for working at the intersection of science and policy.

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) has won the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections after securing narrow but crucial victories in the battleground states of Arizona and Pennsylvania. He is also currently leading in the vote tallies in Georgia.

The Public Policy Report has been released. The report provides analysis and communication on important issues in the scientific community.