Science Policy News
Read about ASPB members in the news and other items of interest for the plant biology community on our Policy Blog. The blog features news and information before they hit the pages of the ASPB Newsletter. It also provides an opportunity for you to engage in dialogue on policy developments affecting the plant biology community.
You can also join science policy discussions online at Plantae.org.
Recent Science Policy Updates
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Washington on Pause: Funding, Fallout, and What’s Next
By Elizabeth Stulberg, Lewis-Burke Associates At the beginning of the new fiscal year, Wednesday, October 1, with no new funding bills or continuing resolution passed by Congress, many agencies within...Read more
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ASPB Advocates Against Relocation of USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Services
Earlier this summer, the US Department of Agriculture announced reorganization plans that included relocating the majority of its staff to regional hubs around the country. Included in the relocation would...Read more
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Advocating for Increased USDA Agricultural Research Service Funding
Amid a quickly changing research funding landscape in the United States, ASPB continues to be a vocal and engaged advocate for federal funding that supports plant scientists. The Society recently...Read more
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Policy Update: Research Impacts of Recent Executive Orders and Memos – and a Call to Action to the ASPB Community
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 2025, a series of executive actions have shaken the research community. Several executive orders were released that targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion...Read more
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ASPB Signs Coalition Letter in Support of Science; Publication Pending in the Chronicle of Higher Education
ASPB has joined a coalition of scientific organizations, led by the American Psychological Association, in signing onto a letter that serves as a powerful, collective statement from the signatories. The...Read more
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ASPB Calls on Congress to Take Action to Restore Data
Organizations and individuals across the nation signed a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to address the recent removal of federal data at various agencies. Public data has been selectively...Read more
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ASPB Joins Call for Increased USDA Program Funding
On February 4, 2025, ASPB joined more than 40 organizations in urging Congress to increase crucial US Department of Agriculture (USDA) program funding in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). In a...Read more
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Policy Update: Federal Judge Vacates USDA Rule Regulating Biotech Crops
On December 2, 2024, the United States District Court of the Northern District of California vacated the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) SECURE Rule, which was finalized in 2020 as...Read more
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Science Policy Update: EPA Releases Final Herbicide Strategy
By Elizabeth Stulberg, PhD, and Victoria Swiler, Lewis-Burke Associates LLC The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final Herbicide Strategy on August 20, a move that it anticipates will protect...Read more
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Weighing in on GMO Technology Regulation
In late December 2023, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reopened the comment period on a recent proposal that outlined five additional exemptions...Read more
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ASPB Joins 64 Organizations Urging Funding for AgARDA
On March 8, 2023, ASPB, together with 64 other organizations, signed a letter addressed to the Subcommittee on Agriculture to urge $50 million in funding for the Agriculture Advanced Research...Read more
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ASPB Signs Letter Supporting Farm Bill Investment
ASPB, together with more than 50 other organizations, signed a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees requesting $8 billion in food and agriculture research, facilities, Extension, and education...Read more
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ASPB Backs LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act, Now Referred in Senate
On June 13, 2022, ASPB, together with 90 scientific organizations, signed a letter in support of the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act. The bill would require federal surveys to include data...Read more
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Funding Opportunity: USDA Releases FY 2022 Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative RFA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a request for applications (RFA) for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative...Read more
Read more Science Policy News on the ASPB blog.