DOE Office of Science Needs Congressional Support — Take Action Now!

This Action Alert has ended. 108 AAS members emailed or called their members of Congress in support of DOE Office of Science, helping to garner 122 House signatories and 31 Senate signatories. Thank you all for your advocacy.

The Department of Energy Office of Science is under threat. RIFs, proposed indirect cost caps, and rumored deep budget cuts are disrupting our community's ability to conduct basic science research and train the next generation of scientists and engineers. DOE Office of Science funding is critical to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which tooks its first images last week, using the largest camera ever built for astronomy. The Office of Science funding also provides support for many other projects to that allow us to probe how the universe works at its most fundamental level, including through surveys like the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and Cosmic Microwave Background projects, alongside many experiments to detect dark matter. The DOE Office of Science supports astronomy and physics researchers across career stages, from graduate students funded through the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship through the postdocs, researchers and faculty who work on the many Cosmic Frontier projects that will transform our understanding of the universe. Without strong funding and a stable workforce pipeline, we will cede our ability to unlock the mysteries of the universe and remain a world leader in basic science research.

AAS has worked with the Energy Sciences Coalition, which includes over 100 organizations representing scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in universities, industry and national laboratories. We advocate for strong and sustained funding for the DOE Office of Science in FY 2026 in order to preserve our country's capacity to innovate, ensure our national security, and support a healthy STEM workforce. Additionally, please request that your Members of Congress oppose DOE's 15% indirect cost cap through language to be included in the FY2026 appropriations bill.

We have provided an example phone and email script to help you craft your message. Please share some details about the work you do that is enabled by the DOE Office of Science in the "Personal message" box. The most effective action would be to both email and call your representatives. When you click the call button, our software will connect you with all three of your Members of Congress in succession, so please end each call with the star (*) button instead of the end-call button to be automatically directed to your next member.

Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions before reaching out to your representatives. Please note that any messages with crude or inflammatory language will not be passed on. 

Thank you for advocating for your research and for the U.S. astronomical community.