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February 6, 2025

Dear Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Leader Jeffries,
I write on behalf of the American Chemical Öйú365betÖÐÎĹÙÍø (ACS) community, representing over 200,000 chemists, chemical engineers, and professionals, to urge Congress to maintain strong support for chemical research during the budget and appropriations process. Continued investment in research and development (R&D) is vital to preserving the United Statesâ€� global leadership.

Both fundamental and applied R&D fuel the innovation needed to drive economic growth, enhance national security, and foster new industries. This investment also supports advancements in critical areas like energy, sustainability, agriculture, food production, and medicine.

Federal funding is essential in the early stages of groundbreaking discoveries, often bridging the gap to commercial viability. Yet, data from the National Science Board shows a troubling decline in federal R&D investment relative to GDP, threatening America’s scientific leadership and global competitiveness. Additionally, current uncertainty over funding has created instability in the research community, undermining progress and wasting federal resources.

Congress must also ensure that institutional knowledge and human capital of all the federal research agencies is responsibly managed. Dramatically reducing the size of the National Science Foundation, for example, could undermine research security efforts, and threaten the STEM workforce pipeline, which is critical for the chemistry enterprise. It is vital that Congress ensure that any restructuring of federal research agencies is conducted responsibly and with maintaining competitiveness in mind. Without this effort, the United States could lose its preeminent position in areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

To ensure the United States remains at the forefront of discovery and innovation, I urge Congress to prioritize and protect federal support for R&D. Your leadership in this area will safeguard our nation’s economic strength, national security, and technological advancement.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Albert G. Horvath
ACS Chief Executive Officer

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