Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 144, the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act, the first bipartisan bill Chairwoman Johnson and I introduced in the 117th Congress.

Over the past year, COVID-19 has caused substantial disruptions across this country, including in the U.S. research enterprise. Most research and development work stopped or was dramatically limited to provide for safe social distancing, and it is estimated we lost between 20 and as much as 40 percent of our research output.

In addition to this loss of research, we are facing the loss of our researchers. Graduate students and post-docs are particularly vulnerable to research disruptions. With their research on pause, these young scientists are finding it difficult to complete their degree requirements. Those who have finished their degrees are having trouble finding work.

Much of academia has implemented hiring freezes, and it is estimated that faculty openings in the sciences have decreased by more than 70 percent compared to 2019. At the same time, the pace of innovation is accelerating globally, and with it, the competition for scientific and technical talent.

The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly stated it is determined to overtake the U.S. in critical technologies like AI, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing. These technologies will require new levels of scientific skills and understanding, and this new generation of scientists will play a critical role in how they are developed.

Now more than ever, the innovation capacity of the U.S. and our prosperity and security depend on an effective and an innovative STEM workforce to compete with our adversaries.

If we do not provide the resources to support these young researchers, we will be limiting our ability to support new and innovative discoveries for years to come. Unfortunately, of the nearly $6 trillion in COVID research spending that Congress has passed, only $600 million was allocated to helping the research industry recover.

That is only 1 percent for a sector of our economy that drives as much as 85 percent of the long-term growth. We have relied on American science and scientists to combat COVID and we are not giving them the funding they need to resume the work that has been stopped by the pandemic and keep our future innovators in the system. Our STEM pipeline and future competitors could be irreparably damaged if we don't act quickly.

Mr. Speaker, that is why I am so proud to cosponsor this legislation. It will establish a pilot program at the National Science Foundation to provide 2-year fellowships to young researchers whose career paths have been disrupted by the pandemic. The bill will support 3,200 fellowships over 4 years. These fellowships will allow talented young scientists and engineers to carry out independent research at an institution of higher education of their choosing.

This bill provides targeted and temporary relief to support early- career scientists, keeping them in the STEM pipeline while the research enterprise recovers. By supporting these young researchers, we are investing in America's research and technology leadership.

This legislation has been endorsed by over 30 organizations, and has nearly as many cosponsors. It was favorably reported out of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on a bipartisan basis, and I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Chairwoman Johnson and her staff for working with me on this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Meijer).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, America's scientific progress depends on a large pool of talented STEM professionals. Our early-career researchers are a critical link in the chain of developing the next generation of scientists.

Unfortunately, in the STEM community, these young scientists have been disproportionately affected by COVID-related lab closures, reduced funding, and hiring freezes. We risk losing these valuable scientists if we do nothing.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join Chairwoman Johnson in championing the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act to support this up-and-coming generation of scientists and preserve America's research and technological leadership.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Chairwoman Johnson and her staff for working in a bipartisan and collaborative way on this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 144) to forestall the loss of research talent by establishing a temporary early career research fellowship program, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 144, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 144, the Supporting Early- Career Researchers Act. I commend Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for introducing this bill, which I am pleased to cosponsor.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our lives, and the U.S. research enterprise has not been spared. As research labs and universities around the country took action to mitigate the spread of the virus in their labs and on their campuses, research productivity decreased dramatically. We still do not know the full financial consequences incurred by these institutions or their full costs in terms of lost science.

Compounding these declines in research productivity, women researchers and researchers from groups historically underrepresented in STEM have been particularly disadvantaged during the crisis because of childcare and other factors.

Facing unprecedented financial difficulties, many research universities instituted hiring freezes, and faculty job openings declined by nearly 70 percent. This limited job market has a greater effect on early-career researchers who may have their career derailed before it truly begins. Already, some early-career researchers are having to choose between applying their training and talent to an academic career and supporting their families.

Early-career researchers play a vital role in the U.S. research ecosystem. They are not only highly productive researchers, they also play a significant role in training the next generation of undergraduate and graduate STEM students. Their departure from research careers, if we do not stop it, will have a profound and long-lasting consequence on U.S. innovation and competitiveness in the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, as increasing numbers of Americans receive COVID-19 vaccines and the research enterprise continues its recovery, we must make the retention of early-career researchers a priority. The Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act directs the National Science Foundation to establish a new $250 million post-doctoral fellowship program to support early-career researchers.

This program will help prevent a significant loss of STEM talent. More than 40 organizations have endorsed this legislation. I, again, thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their continued deliberation on this important issue, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on getting this bill signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 144, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bipartisan Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act.

I thank Mr. Lucas and Chair Johnson, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has created enormous disruptions to the scientific enterprise. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held two hearings to explore the challenges and learn what is needed to help the scientific community recover. Researchers and their students were kept away from the lab, significantly slowing progress on the research and limiting opportunities for mentoring. Research facilities were shuttered and conferences cancelled. Travel restrictions resulted in missed field campaigns and kept international students from joining their research groups on campus. These setbacks affected researchers and students across all scientific disciplines. Women and historically underrepresented groups were particularly affected. While the full cost of the pandemic in terms of lost research is not yet known, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that NIH alone lost $16 billion of research and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) put the figure at $3 billion for NSF-funded research.

I am deeply concerned that these disruptions will have long-lasting consequences for the research ecosystem. One of the most urgent challenges we face is the potentially irreversible loss of research talent. The financial pressures of the pandemic forced many universities to institute hiring freezes for faculty positions. The STEM faculty job market contracted as much as 70 percent in 2020. Early career researchers are the most vulnerable to this contraction, even if it is not permanent. Too many are currently in limbo. After years of hard work and an enormous investment of resources to train these scholars, we simply cannot afford to let them slip through the cracks. If we are to keep ahead of our global competitors and ensure our security and prosperity, we must act now to mitigate a loss of human capital that would take decades to recoup.

The Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act provides a bridge to help recent Ph.D. graduates stay on their chosen career path as they weather this turbulent period. The legislation establishes a two-year, $250 million agency-wide early career fellowship pilot program at NSF. This will enable two cohorts of 1,600 fellows working in all STEM disciplines to carry out their research at the U.S. institutions of their choosing.

More than 30 organizations have endorsed H.R. 144. I want to thank Ranking Member Lucas for joining me in introducing this bill and bringing it to the House Floor. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both bodies to see it enacted and funded quickly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for the bill on the floor this evening that will make substantial improvements in American research and development during a time when it is so badly needed. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions to our research enterprise and Congress must respond before our research community is irreparably harmed.

H.R. 144, the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act, will address this crisis by providing funding to enable researchers to stay on their chosen research career track. This will help prevent further loss of critical talent from the U.S. STEM workforce and strengthen our Nation as we compete with China to invest in the future.

Within my district in West Michigan and across the State are some of the top-tier universities and research institutions our world has to offer. This bill will play a vital role in helping to restart any research they had to delay or postpone during the pandemic.

The pandemic has created these challenges, and our research and development fields have felt them. We must make a serious effort to increase productivity across STEM disciplines in order to remain globally competitive.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 144, and I encourage my colleagues to vote with me in support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 145, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 146, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 147, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 148.