Urge Your Representative to Support DOE Office of Science

Another fiscal year is upon us, and Congress is beginning to set spending priorities for FY 2027. While Congress acted to provide a minor increase to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) budget in FY 2026 and push back against the large cuts to the program proposed in the FY 2026 President’s Budget Request (PBR), we expect similarly large cuts to DOE SC to be proposed in the FY 2027 PBR. It is up to Congress to ensure continued and robust support for DOE’s science programs in FY 2027.  

The AAS has worked with the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC), which includes over 80 science societies and universities, to develop a Congressional letter advocating for strong and sustained funding for DOE SC in FY 2027.  Funding at this level would allow DOE to advance our country’s scientific priorities, including the recommendations of the National Academies’ decadal surveys, and support our highly skilled workforce. The letter is led by Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) and is directed to Chairman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) and Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy, Water Development, and Related Agencies.  

We need your help in getting your representative to sign this letter in support of DOE. Every voice counts.  

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 federal funding in the "Personal message" box. The most effective action would be to both email and call your representative, but if you can only do one, a phone call is more likely to have an immediate impact.  

Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions before reaching out to your representative. Please note that any messages with crude or inflammatory language will not be passed on, and please be respectful during any communications with Congressional offices (messages should align with the AAS Mission and Vision Statement and AAS Code of Ethics).    

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