On Monday, June 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2225, the NSF for the Future Act (NSFFA) of 2021, with a strong bipartisan vote of 345-67. Democrats were unanimous in voting in favor of the bill. Among Republicans, two-thirds of those voting supported the measure while one-third voted No. This is a significant, bi-partisan show of support for the National Science Foundation (NSF), particularly given the political polarization that characterizes many other issues before Congress.
At this juncture, two major, NSF-related bills have been approved in their respective chambers, NSFFA in the House, and S. 1260, the US Innovation and
Competition Act (USICA—formerly the Endless Frontier Act), in the Senate. However, those two measures have significant structural differences, and it will require a lot of work to forge a consensus that bridges these differences. There is currently no clear timetable or path forward to achieving a consensus compromise. PAA will continue to monitor progress closely and keep the PAA membership informed.
To find out how your U.S. Representative voted on H.R. 2225, visit the roll call tally here.
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