ASM and Partners Provide Recommendations to the Presidential Transition Team
ASM stands ready to work with the Biden-Harris Administration and the 117th Congress. Working together, we can harness the power of the microbial sciences to address 21st century challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and antimicrobial resistance. ASM, in partnership with other scientific societies, has provided the following recommendations to the incoming Biden-Harris Administration on key science and health issues ahead of the presidential transition.
On Dec. 2, 2020, ASM joined eight other clinical laboratory stakeholder groups in sending a letter to President-elect Biden's transition team calling for a strong and effective national testing strategy and describing persistent lab supply shortages. The letter highlights ASM's Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½ Supply Shortage Collection (CMSSC) tool among other points, citing recent data it has provided.
ASM and the AFRI Coalition urged the incoming administration to strengthen federal investments in USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) housed in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). AFRI supports research on climate adaptation and resiliency, economic prosperity in rural communities, food safety and quality, nutrition, bioenergy, agricultural technology and plant and animal health.
ASM joined the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), an alliance of more than 130 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities and businesses, in advocacy for the National Science Foundation (NSF). CNSF supports the goal of increasing the national investment in NSF’s research and educational programs in response to the scientific, technological and economic challenges facing the °®¶¹´«Ã½ States.
The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research and 349 member organizations representing patients, clinicians, scientists, educators, academic institutions, research organizations and industry thanked the Biden administration for its support of increased and sustainable funding growth for the NIH as part of $300 billion in new research and development investments in the Build Back Better plan.
Members of the Energy Sciences Coalition, including ASM, advised the Biden Administration to prioritize investments in the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The DOE Office of Science is critical to advancing the fundamental science and early-stage energy technologies necessary to achieve ambitious net-zero goals.
ASM and the Stakeholder Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance (S-FAR) thanked President-elect Biden for his leadership as Vice President alongside President Barack Obama in launching the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria, and urged his Administration to prioritize and strengthen the national response to antimicrobial resistance.
