U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) helped lead a bipartisan group of more than 180 lawmakers in urging his chamber’s leadership to address the challenges faced by the U.S. scientific research workforce as Congress works on another economic relief bill in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While COVID-19 related-research is now in overdrive, most other research has been slowed down or stopped due to pandemic-induced closures of campuses and laboratories,” Rep. Upton and the members wrote in an April 29 letter. “We are deeply concerned that the people who comprise the research workforce — graduate students, postdocs, principal investigators, and technical support staff — are at risk.”
These researchers are essential to protecting the nation’s public health, national security, economic growth, and international competitiveness, according to their letter.
“Congress must act to preserve our current scientific workforce and ensure that the U.S. is prepared to continue our global scientific leadership once this crisis ends,” wrote Rep. Upton and the lawmakers.
The lawmakers called for forthcoming federal relief funding to total $26 billion in order to cover important research work, such as supplements for research grants and contracts; emergency relief to sustain research support personnel and base operating costs for core research facilities and user-funded research services; and additional graduate student and postdoctoral fellowships, traineeships and research assistantships, with priority given to those who could not complete research or degrees due to the coronavirus.
“Supporting the people of the U.S. scientific and medical research community will help stimulate the U.S economy in the near term by keeping these workers employed,” Rep. Upton and the lawmakers wrote. “Protecting the research workforce is critical to state and local economies as research universities, academic medical centers, independent research institutes, and national labs are major employers in all 50 states.”