U.S. House elects new Speaker as funding extension deadline nears
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has been elected Speaker of the House, and both the House and Senate continue to work on their respective FY24 appropriations bills. The current government funding, supported by a continuing resolution (CR), is set to expire on November 17.
Prior to his election, Speaker Johnson sent a letter to his Republican colleagues outlining an agenda for the remainder of 2023, beginning with appropriations. He expressed support for another CR through January 15 or April 15 if needed, and he suggested a timeline for the House to complete its appropriations work by mid-November.
Thus far, the House has passed six of the 12 FY24 bills: defense, energy-water, homeland security, interior-environment, legislative branch, military construction-veterans affairs, and state-foreign operations. On November 1, the Senate passed its first three bills via a ”minibus” spending package, which included the agriculture, transportation-hud, and military construction-veterans affairs bills.
Review the Congressional Research Service FY24 Appropriations status table for additional information. Contact the Office of Federal Affairs with questions or to request additional details regarding a specific bill or federal program.
President Biden Issues EO on AI
On October 30, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) to ensure that the U.S. takes the forefront in harnessing the potential and mitigating the challenges of artificial intelligence (AI).
This EO sets forth new guidelines for AI safety and security and strives to safeguard the privacy of American citizens, foster equity and civil rights, champion the interests of consumers and workers, encourage innovation and healthy competition, bolster American global leadership, and more. This EO builds upon previous measures taken by President Biden. For more information, see the White House press release.
Senate approves NIH director nomination
The Senate has approved Monica Bertagnolli’s nomination as the head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). President Biden nominated her on May 15, praising her work as a “world-renowned surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, educator, and physician-leader.” Bertagnolli is currently director of the National Cancer Institute, the first woman to serve in that role.
NSB releases updated Science & Engineering Indicators report
The National Science Board (NSB) Science & Engineering Indicators report covers research and development (R&D) performed at institutions of higher education in the U.S.
The newly released report states that, in 2021, the U.S. ranked highest among 32 leading countries or regions in total funding of academic R&D. It also found that U.S. institutions of higher education spent nearly $90 billion on R&D in FY21, the highest amount reported to date. Higher education institutions perform a significant amount of the basic research conducted in the U.S., but that amount has declined.