Members of Congress reconvene today following an extended recess, spurred by the significant victories of Democrats in the midterm elections. The lame-duck Congress faces a deadline of December 11 to pass funding legislation to avoid a government shutdown.
House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) has announced her intention to seek the chair position of the committee in the upcoming Congress. Lofgren highlighted a focus on preventing the “politicization” of science that occurred during the Trump administration. “We will build protections for federal science and innovation programs so Trump-era corruption cannot happen again,” she stated.
All Democratic members of the committee who ran for reelection were successful, while three Republican members are retiring, and James Gallagher (R-CA) lost his election bid. Four races involving Republican members of the Science Committee remain undecided. On the Democratic side, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) is leaving Congress and is facing potential expulsion from the Democratic caucus.
In the Senate Commerce Committee, the contest between incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Democrat Mary Peltola remains tight, with Peltola currently holding a slight lead. Both parties are experiencing losses in committee membership due to retirements.
The funding landscape could shift significantly as Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) lost her reelection to Democrat Troy Jackson. Collins has traditionally wielded considerable influence over funding decisions and has opposed some of the Trump administration’s cuts to science agencies.
White House Issues Space Freedom Proclamation
On Tuesday, the White House issued a “Declaration of Freedom in Space,” reaffirming the importance of human space exploration as a national priority. This announcement precedes a weekend exposition and air show at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where the agency also opened applications for future Moon landing astronauts.
The proclamation emphasizes the administration’s commitment to human space exploration, particularly aimed at lunar missions. It also underscores adherence to international space obligations, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, potentially countering future territorial claims in space by countries like China, which also aims for lunar landings within the next decade.
Jack Kiraly of the Planetary Society remarked, “Space is the one area that really brings people together across the electorate, across the general public, and across Congress,” commending the administration’s support for the space program.
Also on Our Radar
- A federal judge has dismissed charges against Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova related to smuggling frog embryos.
- Legislation proposed in Congress aims to establish a Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement to advise lawmakers on new technologies, reviving an initiative defunded in 1995.
- The White House has cancelled the inaugural meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which had already faced delays.
- A coalition of public service organizations has warned that federal science agencies are not complying with Congress’s directives regarding a blocked OMB grant rule.
