Letters, Sign-ons, and Statements

To advocate on different policy issues, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) will often write letters or send written testimony to policy makers, and coordinate with our peers by "signing-on" to letters written by coalitions. Letters from AAS directly tend to concern the authorization or appropriations process, but can also express our views on issues 

Letters from AAS

Recent letters AAS has written to Executive, Legislative, or other federal entities:

  • FY2023 Appropriations Conference Letter
  • Letter welcoming Dr. Mark Clampin as new NASA Astrophysics Director
  • FY2023 House CJS Appropriations Witness Testimony
  • 2022 Written Testimony for House Science Hearing on the Planetary Science Decadal Survey
  • 2022 Written Testimony for House Science Hearing on the Astronomy & Astrophysics Decadal Survey
  • FY2022 Appropriations Conference Letter

Sign-On Letters

To amplify advocacy messages, AAS joins coalitions consisting of other scientific professional societies, universities, and groups representing scientists. By showing that many groups representing large numbers of scientists support a request, our policy "asks" become more convincing. 

Advocacy Coalitions

The AAS is currently a member organization of the following coalitions:

  • Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI)
  • Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC)
  • Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)
  • Physical Sciences Education Policy Coalition (PSEPC)
  • Coalition for Aerospace and Science (CAS)
  • U.S. Coalition for the Advancement of Supercomputing (USCAS)
  • A coalition of scholarly publications (GATF)

The AAS is additionally an affiliate member of the STEM Ed Coalition, and participates in ad hoc coalitions around specific science, space, and/or astronomy issues that arise, often facilitated by organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Most of the AAS' joint advocacy work is done in the context of the above coalitions, which send letters to policymakers and issue statements about policy issues. The AAS is often, but not always, listed as a signatory or on the letterhead of these documents. Decisions about whether or not to sign on to these documents lie with the AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy (CAPP), in consultation with the AAS Public Policy staff, and is governed by the CAPP's mission, guiding principles, and strategic plan.

Letters from 2022

Letters from 2021

Letters from 2020

Letters from 2019

Letters from 2018

1This list is a work in progress as of 8 December 2014 and may not reflect all letters the AAS has joined in previous years.