FYI: Science Policy News
FYI
/
Article

NIST Director Testifies on Budget Challenges

MAY 29, 2024
The agency is seeking to surge funding for sorely needed facility repairs and its growing role in AI policy.
Jacob Taylor headshot
Senior Editor for Science Policy, FYI AIP
Locascio at a House Science Committee Hearing May 2024.png

NIST Director Laurie Locascio at a House Science Committee hearing in May 2024.

(House Science Committee)

Budget strains facing the National Institute of Standards and Technology were the focus of a House Science Committee hearing last week. NIST Director Laurie Locascio said that in the wake of the reduced budget it received from Congress for fiscal year 2024 the agency had to freeze hiring, reduce its number of students and postdocs, and pare back some programs.

Locascio highlighted how the president’s 2025 budget request for NIST proposes to surge funding for priority areas such as informing standards for artificial intelligence and addressing the agency’s large backlog of facilities maintenance. Aging and decaying research facilities have emerged as major issues across federal research agencies, but the situation at NIST has received particular attention following reports calling out major problems at its labs and offices.

Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) applauded NIST’s work on AI in his opening statement but expressed concerns that the agency is being overburdened. “While mighty, NIST is a small agency, and its resources are spread exceptionally thin. I am concerned that some of these additional responsibilities may end up taking focus away from core NIST programs,” he said.

Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) emphasized the maintenance backlog in her opening statement. “Congress has not funded any real solutions to that problem. Now, the infrastructure issues are coming to a head, decreasing the effectiveness of the agency, damaging staff morale, and in some cases, putting those staff in real danger,” she said.

This news brief originally appeared in FYI’s newsletter for the week of May 27.

Related Topics
More from FYI
FYI
/
Article
Some researchers doubt their reinstatements will come through, while others are seeking solutions outside court rulings.
FYI
/
Article
A new National Academies report finds that nuclear war modeling needs to incorporate more up-to-date science from a range of fields.
FYI
/
Article
The bill also includes a huge tax hike for certain universities and rescinds major clean energy and climate research funds.
FYI
/
Article
Scientists are mulling whether the effort has merit or is simply an attempt to undermine independent science.

Related Organizations