Societies request supplemental research funding for COVID impacts

In the coming weeks, Congress plans to pursue another $1-2 trillion COVID-19 relief package. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA have been working with our partners to try and add researchers to the list of impacted industries. The research and university communities are asking Congress to include $26 billion in supplemental extramural research funds in the next relief package. These funds would be divided among the federal research agencies to provide additional support for graduate student, postdocs and research assistants and would help cover costs associated with restarting research activities.

As a part of several research coalitions, ASA, CSSA, and SSSA sent letters to the House Science Committee outlining the needs of the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy-Office of Science. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA also signed on to a letter requesting $380 million in supplemental funding for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.