Amid a quickly changing research funding landscape in the United States, ASPB continues to be a vocal and engaged advocate for federal funding that supports plant scientists. The Society recently joined academic, agriculture, and food stakeholder groups in a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Members recognizing their past support of the US … Read more
As budget development continues, ASPB recently joined with other research institutions, scientific societies, and agricultural stakeholders in a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Members requesting “no less than $500 million for the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in Fiscal Year 2026.” As a key grant program of the US Department … Read more
ASPB and 93 other organizations recently sent a letter to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials in support of for the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), a program managed by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) focused on conserving and distributing plant genetic resources. The NGPS maintains a diverse collection of plant germplasm, including … Read more
ASPB joined the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and 47 other scientific organizations in a letter to members of Congress demanding that they protect federally funded scientific research and federal scientists. The letter asks Congress to “take immediate action to protect and restore life-saving and essential scientific research that benefits American families and communities.” The … Read more
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 2025, a series of executive actions have shaken the research community. Several executive orders were released that targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and climate initiatives and that direct agencies to generate lists of existing grants supporting these activities. Furthermore, on January 27, the Office of Management … Read more
