Action Alert – Contact Congress to Prevent Major Tax Increase on Graduate Students

Please read the urgent request below and contact your Member of Congress regarding a harmful provision in a piece of legislation under consideration by Congress. The situation: The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering tax reform legislation, H.R. 1, that would change the way graduate student income is considered and result in large tax … Read more

ASPB Statement on Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal

On May 23, 2017, the White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request whereby it proposed to slash funding for federal agencies that support plant science research and education.  If enacted, President Trump’s FY 2018 budget would have a catastrophic impact on plant science and the broader U.S. enterprise of scientific innovation.  The … Read more

Tell Congress To Support Plant Science Funding By Passing FY 2017 Omnibus

This week, House and Senate congressional leaders reached an agreement on a fiscal year (FY) 2017 omnibus appropriations bill.  This bill will fund the entire federal government through the remainder of FY 2017. Despite White House FY 2018 proposals to cut funding for many science agencies, Congress has decided instead to protect and, in some … Read more

Appropriations Update: Congress Passes Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government through April 28, 2017

On December 9, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund government operations through April 28, 2017.  The bill passed with bipartisan support, with a Senate vote of 63-36 and a House vote of 326-96.  The first CR of fiscal year (FY) 2017 funded government operations through December 9 and with only one hour to … Read more

Analysis of the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request

President Obama released the last budget request of his Administration on February 9th. The budget proposal nominally adheres to the top defense and non-defense discretionary spending levels agreed to by Congress in the fall of last year. However, the White House is relying on mandatory spending, which requires Congress to pass legislation to make these … Read more