Call to Action from the Heliophysics Coalition

The following is a call to action from the Heliophysics Coalition, a grassroots organization of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division and the American Geophysical Union's Space Physics and Aeronomy Section.

As you are aware, there is currently considerable — dare we say unprecedented — uncertainty regarding the future of federal support for solar and space physics research. Reported potential impacts include reductions in workforce at these agencies, impediments to grant funding and limitations on associated overhead charges, and drastic budget cuts. While we do not yet know if or how these impacts may manifest themselves for our funding agencies, we remain confident that our work is both necessary and appreciated by the public. This includes developing research results, transitioning actionable knowledge to operations, supporting and developing our workforce, and training the next generation to ensure continuity of scientific expertise and leadership.

One way to empower ourselves in such uncertain times is to advocate. Given the rapid pace at which some of these changes are occurring — especially regarding potential workforce reductions at critical agencies — immediate action is necessary.

As individuals, you can contact your Congressional representatives directly; this is a right for all of us, including foreign nationals. If you are employed by the federal government, you must ensure that you are representing your views as a private citizen, not as an employee. Thus, please do not use company e-mail addresses or telephones.

To ensure consistency of messaging, we ask that your engagement be guided by the talking points provided below. Feel free to amplify any topic(s) that you believe would resonate with your Representative or Senator, such as the impact of your work on the local community and/or state. When you press the call button below, the system will call your phone number and connect you to each of your three members of Congress in succession. As you finish your message to each office, press the star (*) button instead of the end-call button to be automatically directed to your next representative.

We also strongly encourage you to share this messaging and your personal story with friends, family, and colleagues, both publicly and privately, and to encourage others if they are willing to also reach out to their Representatives and Senators and amplify the support for our research.

The grassroots Heliophysics Coalition, which operates jointly with AGU and AAS, is a resource that can help guide you in how to advocate effectively. If you have specific questions, we recommend reaching out to the points of contact for the Coalition, Ian Cohen ([email protected]) and Gordon Emslie ([email protected]).