[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 2 (Monday, January 4, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORTING EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON-

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 4, 2021

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, today I am joined by Ranking 
Member Lucas in introducing the Supporting Early-Career Researchers 
Act.
  As access to COVID-19 vaccines continues to grow, so too does our 
optimism for emerging from this long national crisis. I look forward to 
the day when this virus is under control and we can begin the process 
of recovery. While the full scope of the damage is not yet known, there 
can be no doubt that this virus has touched every segment of our 
society. As Chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I 
am deeply concerned about the severe and long-lasting impacts of this 
pandemic on our nation's research enterprise.
  In order to slow the spread of the virus, universities across the 
country were forced to cancel in person classes and shut down campus 
operations as they slowly transitioned to remote learning and hybrid 
approaches. I commend universities for their dedication to doing their 
part to slow the spread of the virus and for their commitment to 
ensuring the safety of their students, faculty, and staff. Universities 
also stepped up to donate personal protective equipment, reconfigure 
laboratory space and equipment for COVID-19 research and provide for 
testing and contact tracing.
  These actions, while likely life-saving, came at a cost. The full 
extent of the financial loss incurred by universities is unknowable at 
this point. In order to stave off catastrophe, many universities 
instituted hiring freezes and cancelled new faculty hires.
  I am deeply worried about the disappearance of STEM job opportunities 
and the potential long-term consequences for our STEM pipeline and 
consequently our innovation ecosystem. For established researchers, the 
COVID-19 crisis has severely limited their access to their laboratory 
space. But for early career researchers, these disruptions came at a 
critical juncture in their research career, threatening to derail their 
career path.
  Even in normal times, postdoctoral research positions provide little 
job security, with most postdocs employed on two-year contracts. With 
the academic job market severely contracted, postdocs find themselves 
in a truly precarious position. Many of them may be forced to abandon 
their career path altogether in order to support themselves and their 
families.
  I am thrilled that, after months of deliberations, a bipartisan 
COVID-19 relief package has been enacted. While this package includes 
funding for universities, it falls far short of meeting the need. We 
must act now to avoid losing an entire generation of talented 
scientists and engineers from our research pipeline. These are they 
very people whom we will need to overcome the next health crisis, to 
protect our population against the consequences of catastrophic climate 
change, and to ensure we remain a global leader in science and 
technology--leadership that is essential to our economic and national 
security.
  The Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act establishes a $250 
million postdoctoral fellowship pilot program at the National Science 
Foundation. This program would provide authorization for a much-needed 
bridge to help early career researchers weather this storm and prevent 
a permanent loss of STEM talent our nation can ill afford. I look 
forward to moving this bill quickly.

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