Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Statement on a Successful SpaceX Crew-1 Mission
(Washington, DC) - On Sunday, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were launched to the International Space Station on the first certified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This is the first crew rotation mission of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and the first commercial crew flight to include an international partner. Late last night, the spacecraft successfully docked to the ISS. … Continue Reading
November 17, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Stevens Criticize Appointment of Dr. Jason Richwine for New Senior NIST Role
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross questioning the last minute creation of a new senior position within the Department, Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, without providing notice to Congressional committees, and the appointment of Dr. Jason Richwine to serve in that role. Dr. Richwine has written … Continue Reading
November 10, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Questions Removal of Dr. Kuperberg from National Climate Assessment Panel
(Dallas, TX) - On Friday, November 7, the Trump Administration removed Dr. Michael Kuperberg from his detail as the Executive Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). USGCRP, which is overseen by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), is the interagency body tasked with preparing the National Climate Assessment, a quadrennial scientific review of trends and effects of climate change required under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Dr. … Continue Reading
November 02, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Celebrates Twenty Years of Human Presence on the International Space Station
(Dallas, TX) - Today marks 20 years of human presence on the International Space Station (ISS). On November 2, 2000, the first crew to inhabit the ISS, NASA Commander William Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos, arrived at the Station. Since 2000, 241 individuals from 19 different countries have visited the ISS and taken part in this international research and development effort in space. "Twenty years of living and working in space, carrying out … Continue Reading
October 26, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Questions DOE Secretary Brouillette on Pattern of Suppressed or Modified DOE Funded Reports
(Dallas, TX) - On Friday, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a follow up letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Brouillette requesting the agency brief Committee staff on the multi-laboratory research effort called the Interconnections Seam Study. Seams was made available on DOE's website on October 22 after a delay of over two years. The Chairwoman expressed concern in the letter that Seams may be part of a pattern over roughly the last two years in which DOE-funded reports … Continue Reading
October 13, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Congratulates 2020 Nobel Laureates
(Dallas, TX) - Over the last week, the 2020 Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine as well as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, were announced. Each year, thousands of nominators submit candidates for the Nobel Prize. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. "I am so delighted to learn of the number of women Nobel Laureates who have been recognized for their achievements in STEM fields this year, including Dr. Doudna who testified … Continue Reading
October 03, 2020Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(Washington, DC) - House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) along with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 50th anniversary which falls on October 3. NOAA's history of environmental stewardship dates back to the 19thcentury, with the creation of the Survey of the Coast … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020Chairs Johnson and Foster Express Disapproval of Proposed Rule to Restrict Visas for International Students
Washington, DC) - Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule aimed at restricting visas for international students. The proposed rule would place an expiration date on visas that had previously lasted the duration of a student's degree program. Now most international student visas would expire after four years. Increased restrictions will also be placed on individuals born in a few dozen countries with a visa overstay rate that exceeds 10 percent, with visas … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020House Passes Legislation to Address Climate Change by Investing in Clean Energy Research and Development
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives voted on and passed H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. H.R. 4447 includes programs to develop and deploy clean energy resources; improve the efficiency of our homes and businesses; electrify our transportation sector; modernize the grid and enhance its resiliency; prioritize the needs of environmental justice communities; reduce carbon pollution from industrial and traditional sources; develop advanced nuclear energy … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Urges DOE Secretary Brouillette to Make Public the Findings of the Interconnections Seam Study
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Brouillette requesting the agency release the findings of the multi-laboratory research effort called the Interconnections Seam Study. DOE initiated the Seam Study in 2016 to model how a more-connected national grid could support grid stability, efficient resource distribution, and lower power prices for consumers. In the letter, the Chairwoman noted that DOE's reported … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020Committee Members Request GAO Examination of the Impact of More Frequent and Severe Wildfires on Air Quality and Public Health
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Environment Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Ami Bera (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Ben McAdams (D-UT) sent a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluate the growing impacts of increasingly frequent and severe climate … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Calls for Resignation of HHS Assistant Secretary Caputo after Investigation finds Officials Tampered with CDC Reports on COVID-19
(Washington, DC) - Over the weekend, Politico published the results of an investigation that found that political officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have routinely altered bulletins produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the risks of COVID-19 for political purposes. The New York Times reported that on Sunday one of these officials, Assistant Secretary Michael Caputo, also accused CDC scientists of "sedition" and encouraged his … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Introduce Forensic Science Research and Standards Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday afternoon, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced H.R. 8239, the Forensic Science Research and Standards Act of 2020. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that forensic analyses used in criminal investigations and presented in court are founded on rigorous science and yield evidence that judges, prosecutors, defendants, and juries can trust. The legislation … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Voices Concern Over Climate Denier Named as a Top Advisor at NOAA
(Dallas, TX) - Over the weekend, Dr. David Legates was named deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for environmental observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This newly created position at NOAA does not require Senate confirmation. Dr. Legates is a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware and an outspoken denier that humans contribute to climate change. He is affiliated with the Heartland Institute and his … Continue Reading
September 11, 2020Chairs Johnson and Foster Issue Statement on Clearview AI’s New Contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(Washington, DC) -- Earlier this spring, Committee leaders sent two letters to Clearview AI raising serious questions about privacy and security of its facial recognition technology and image databases. The Committee’s most recent communications with Clearview AI have only served to reinforce our concerns that the company’s protocols for ensuring accuracy in its facial recognition algorithm may be inadequate. Recently, Clearview AI signed a new contract with … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Chairman Foster Call for Scientific Integrity and Transparency in NIH Funding Policy
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight Chairman Bill Foster (D-IL) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins raising concerns that actions recommended by a new NIH Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory, if carried out, may violate the NIH Scientific Integrity Policy. "It is critical for NIH to … Continue Reading
August 18, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Statement on Extension of EPA Science Advisory Board Nomination Period
(Dallas, TX) - Late last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-opened the Science Advisory Board (SAB) nomination period through August 31 in reaction to an April court ruling striking down former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's much-criticized 2017 policy prohibiting EPA grant recipients from serving on Agency advisory boards. The Agency's previous position asserted that individuals awarded EPA grants were considered to have a conflict-of-interest. EPA is scheduled in the coming … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020Science Committee Members Introduce Legislation to Create New Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) along with Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act. This legislation creates a new postdoctoral fellowship program at the National Science Foundation to help … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020Committee Chairwomen Request GAO Examination of Federal PFAS R&D Efforts
(Washington, DC)- Yesterday, Subcommittee on Energy Chair Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Subcommittee on Environment Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Subcommittee on Research and Technology Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) sent a letter to Comptroller Gene Dodaro requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine how the Federal Government has coordinated research and development (R&D) activities on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) across different agencies. The … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Statement on the Passing of Dr. Michael Freilich
(Dallas, TX) - Earlier today, it was announced that former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Director, Dr. Michael Freilich, passed away. Dr. Freilich led NASA's work on climate change, severe weather, the atmosphere, the oceans, sea ice and glaciers, and the land surface for over 12 years before retiring in 2019. Earlier this year, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and their international partners announced that they renamed an … Continue Reading