Good morning INFORMS members,
As we get ready to turn the corner into the month of May later this week (how did that happen already?), there are few key updates to share with you from Washington.
First, as I've mentioned previously, we are entering the annual federal appropriations season and Congress will be considering the President's FY2027 budget request and determining its own initial recommendations on federal funding.
Up first, the House Committee on Appropriations will consider a number of funding proposals, including the FY 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill. This bill will be the House's first pass on setting funding levels for NSF, among other agencies.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit written testimony to the House appropriations committee, and I'm encouraging INFORMS members to be a part of this process. Information on how to submit testimony follows. In terms of what to say, the following is intended to provide you with a roadmap. If you do submit testimony, please take a few minutes to personalize your submission around your specific work and impacts, and the importance of NSF to advancing or supporting it.
Testimony Message Roadmap
As a member of the operations research and analytics community, I urge Congress to fund the National Science Foundation at no less than the FY2026 enacted level of $8.75 billion and reject the President's FY2027 proposal to reduce NSF to approximately $4 billion. NSF supports the foundational research and STEM education pipeline that make American leadership in analytics, artificial intelligence, optimization, data science, engineering, and mathematical modeling possible.
In my field, NSF-supported research helps produce the tools used to improve supply chains, strengthen health systems, support national defense, manage infrastructure, improve transportation, prepare for disasters, and make better decisions under uncertainty. These are not abstract academic concerns. They are practical capabilities the country needs.
Congress was right in FY26 to preserve NSF's core research and education capacity. FY27 appropriations should continue that commitment by sustaining NSF funding, protecting STEM education, and supporting balanced investment across the directorates that advance American scientific, technological, and economic competitiveness.
How to Submit Testimony
In addition to the appropriations process, several recent developments involving NSF and federal science governance are worth noting.
Federal Agencies
- National Science Board: members dismissed
Congress
In The News
As always, I will continue tracking these and other developments and sharing updates relevant to the INFORMS community.
Best regards,
Jeff Cohen
P.S. Please let me know if you have any questions about the federal appropriations process or submitting testimony to the House Appropriations Committee. And, don't forget, if you want to get more involved in or learn more about INFORMS advocacy and public relations efforts, please reach out to me at: jcohen@informs.org
------------------------------
Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA | PhD Candidate
Chief Strategy Officer
INFORMS
jcohen@informs.orglinkedin.com/in/jmcsc
------------------------------