Advocacy Wins in 2025

AAS members have been extremely active in advocacy this year and this level of engagement is making a noticeable difference! As of November 2025, over 2600 unique advocates have sent over 6500 messages to their members of Congress on topics ranging from the importance of federal funding for astronomy, to workforce development programs and the protection of dark and radio-quiet skies. This has led to multiple actions being taken in Congress in support of the astronomical sciences: 

Record number of signatories on letters supporting science agencies 

In spring 2025, we asked AAS members to contact their Congressional offices and ask them to sign ‘Dear Colleague’ letters in support of $9 billion for the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and $10 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), in addition to robust and sustained funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC). AAS member engagement contributed to a record number of signatories on these letters, particularly for NASA SMD, which received 83 signatures in the House of Representatives (nearly double the number of signatories from 2024) and 15 in the Senate. The NSF letter had 132 House signatories and 38 Senate signatories, while the DOE SC letter had 122 signatures from the House and 31 from the Senate.  

In addition to sending messages to their Congressional offices using our action alerts, dozens of AAS members also put in time and effort towards filling out appropriations request forms for their Congressional offices. This formal process informs the requests that Senators and Representatives submit regarding what their individual offices want in that year's appropriations bill. Thanks to the efforts of AAS members, over 100 appropriations request forms were submitted to Congressional offices in support of robust funding for NASA SMD, NSF, and DOE SC. It is highly unusual for the average constituent to submit these forms, so offices did take notice of your efforts. 

Collectively, this advocacy resulted in both the House and the Senate resoundingly rejecting the existential cuts to science proposed in the President’s Budget Request. The Senate kept funding for our science agencies approximately flat, and you can still advocate for Congress to adopt the Senate numbers in their final agreement using this action alert. 

Dark and Quiet Skies Act Reintroduced 

Senators Hickenlooper and Crapo reintroduced the bipartisan and AAS-endorsed Dark and Quiet Skies Act. This bill, originally introduced in August 2024, would create a Center of Excellence to carry out research on mitigation measures to protect dark and radio-quiet skies and develop best practices for both satellite operators and astronomical observers. The bill also provides $20 million in funding for the center. AAS is continuing to serve as a resource for both Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Crapo’s offices on this effort. 

Protect America’s Workforce Act 

AAS members have been asking their members of Congress to support the Protect America’s Workforce Act, which would restore collective bargaining rights to federal workers, including AAS members at federal science agencies. On November 17, a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill collected 218 signatures from members of the House of Representatives, ensuring that the bill will receive a vote on the House floor.