In Policy Insider, UCAR’s Office of Government Relations shares quarterly updates on their work advancing science policy and funding on Capitol Hill.

In the wake of November’s election, the balance of power in Washington, D.C. is shifting, as Republicans take control of the White House and the Senate while maintaining control of the House of Representatives in January. Following his Jan. 20 inauguration, President-elect Trump will nominate officials to key leadership posts in the White House, as well as at NOAA, USGS, NASA, and other science agencies. Trump has already indicated who some of his picks will be, including Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. At NSF, the Director serves for a six-year term, and current Director Sethuraman Panchanathan is set to serve until the end of his term in 2026.
 
The incoming administration has yet to release its policy plans for science or the science agencies, but cutting taxes, improving government efficiency, and reducing non-defense federal spending are major goals. With a narrow majority in the new Congress, Republicans will be empowered to pass some tax and spending legislation through the “budget reconciliation” process but will be constrained in their abilities to pass most legislation alone, since they will need Democrat support to overcome a potential filibuster in the Senate. 

During the “lame duck” session of Congress that runs through the end of this calendar year, Congress must address expiring federal government funding by Dec. 20, likely by passing a continuing resolution that will fund the government at current spending levels until March 2025. Congress is also considering a bipartisan disaster supplemental spending bill, and UCAR’s Office of Government Relations is actively advocating for year-end legislation to include next-generation Earth system science and tech priorities. UCAR’s efforts have recently yielded a bipartisan letter in the House, signed by 24 Representatives, calling for robust investment in next-generation weather forecasting science. You can access that letter here.

In 2025, the UCAR Office of Government Relations, now based in Washington, D.C., will continue bipartisan efforts to build support among policymakers for Earth system science, including advocating for robust funding for the federal agencies that sponsor our research.