The White House prepared a fact sheet on the President’s Budget, and the Office of Management and Budget prepared supporting materials, including analytical perspectives and appendices. The White House also has posted details on the President’s research funding priorities.

SUMMARY

The President’s FY 2025 budget request largely adheres to the budget caps agreed to by Congress and the White House as part of the 2023 debt ceiling negotiation. Overall, the request totals $7.3 trillion – a 4.7% increase over the current budget. It seeks to boost defense spending by 1% and non-defense discretionary spending by 2.4%.

Highlights of the request include:

• 48.3 billion in base funding for the National Institutes of Health (an $800 million or a 1.7% increase over FY23)
• $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
• $10.2 billion for the National Science Foundation (12.4% more than the FY24 enacted levels), including $900 million for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships and $205 million for NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines program
• $8.6 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science (a 4% increase over FY24)
• $7.6 billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (a 3% increase over FY24)
• $816 million for the Institute of Education Sciences (an 8% increase over FY23)
• $475 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (a 7% increase over FY24)
• Concerningly, the budget includes cuts for basic research and science and technology activities at the Department of Defense.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) prepared a detailed analysis of the proposal, as well as an agency breakdown and comparison to current fiscal year.  (Note: not all agencies have final FY 2024 numbers yet as Congress is still negotiating final spending bills for many departments.)

PROCESS

The President’s budget request, while an important policy and political marker, is a blueprint, or suggestion — Congress has the constitutional authority to write the spending bills that fund the federal government. Both the House and Senate will soon hold hearings to consider different aspects of the President’s budget. Top administration officials will testify before Congress, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will craft the FY 2025 spending bills this summer. Committee consideration of those bills will likely begin even sooner.

Please contact Ben Miller at ben.miller@wisc.edu if you have questions about a specific program or agency FY 2025 budget request.

Nine Washington, DC-based staff members of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators and Representatives visited the University of Wisconsin–Madison from Aug. 28-30, getting a broad overview of campus and appreciation for landmarks old and new.

On Tuesday, they got an inside look at UW–Madison’s leadership in agricultural and life sciences, touring the new Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building, the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease, the Center for Dairy Research, and the Dairy Cattle Center — and they got to preview the state-of-the-art School of Veterinary Medicine facility slated to open by the end of 2023.

They also met with Admissions and Financial Aid senior leadership, discussing programs such as Bucky’s Tuition Promise and Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which allow in-state students with financial need to attend UW at no cost.

On Wednesday, they visited the School of Medicine and Public Health, the Wisconsin Energy Institute, UW’s nuclear and fusion research facilities, and the Morgridge Institute for Research in the Discovery Building.

“We’re always happy to host Congressional staff on campus,” notes Mike Lenn, director of the Office of Federal Relations. “When they experience the many ways UW–Madison is a world-class university, they have a better sense of how federal funds are being used.” Federal funds, in the form of research grants and other budget items, make up a quarter of UW–Madison’s revenue — the single largest source of funding for the university.

Congressional staff also had ample opportunities to relax and enjoy late summer in Madison, from a boat ride on Lake Mendota to a reception in the new South End Zone area of Camp Randall Stadium with campus leaders and researchers.

“It’s great to be here at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research and to see the groundbreaking innovations that are occurring here,” stated Senator Baldwin, adding that she appreciates “the partnerships that have been built between a public university research institution, and private sector health care industry leaders.”

The tour is part of an effort to highlight a new statewide biohealth consortium of 15 private and public partners, including UW–Madison.

Announced by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) earlier this month, the consortium’s educational institutions, biohealth companies, precision manufacturers, and investors will work together to develop and facilitate shared initiatives and to pursue a Regional Tech Hub designation for the state of Wisconsin. This designation, which is awarded by the federal Economic Development Administration, would give the state access to at least $50 million in federal funds under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes highlighted the multiplier effect of such a collaboration, noting, “Economic development is really about injecting resources into something that’s already happening. Where we have this organic opportunity arising because of our industry and our universities, we can knit together efforts to help entrepreneurs or to do more workforce training and to do more research.”

“I think what I’ve really seen today is the Wisconsin Idea coming to life, where we have government and university and industry all working together. It’s classic Wisconsin,” added Hughes.

Secretary Hughes accompanied Senator Baldwin on the tour, underlining the assets UW–Madison brings to the consortium’s efforts. Connected to UW School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health’s University Hospital, the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) is a cutting-edge translational and interdisciplinary research facility that brings together human and technological resources in one location. The tour included the UW–Madison Cyclotron lab, Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility, WIMR PET Imaging Center, and the Photon Counting CT Scanner.

Throughout the visit, WIMR leadership and researchers highlighted industry collaborations and innovative UW–Madison advances in a variety of important medical fields.

As Senator Baldwin noted following the tour: “Personalized medicine and a new word to me— theranostics, which is sort of the combination of therapy and diagnostics—are huge opportunities to deal with some of the most challenging chronic and acute diseases that we experience, whether that’s cancer [or] Alzheimer’s. All of that could really be developed and scaled here in Wisconsin, and it would not just have helpful, healthy impacts here in the States, but globally. It could be a real game changer.”

Additionally, this legislation prohibits the Department of Education from extending the student loan repayment pause beyond August, rescinds $1.4 billion in IRS funding, extends work requirements on SNAP recipients aged 50-54, and rescinds $28 billion in unobligated COVID-19 emergency funding. Rescissions include: $391 million from the Education Stabilization Fund, $46 million from the Institute of Education Sciences, $15 million from the Broadband Connectivity Fund, $8.6 million from the Student Aid Administration, $190,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and $20,000 from Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs at the Department of State. The unobligated funds being rescinded are funds not yet allocated by the federal government, not unexpended funds already received by states or other grantees. Read the full text of the 100-page “Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023”.

With this end to debt limit negotiations, congressional committees will restart their work in earnest – particularly, drafting FY24 spending legislation and the National Defense Authorization Act. The full impact of the agreed upon top-line spending levels on individual accounts important to campus will not be known for several months. The Office of Federal Relations will continue to monitor developments and report them to you regularly via our Research Update and the Government Relations Update. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Federal Relations.

Updated 6/5/23

President Joe Biden recently sent his Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget request to Congress. The $6.9 trillion request includes $841 billion for non-defense discretionary programs (8 percent above FY 2023) and $886 billion for discretionary defense spending (3 percent above FY 2023).

While the president’s budget is an important document that highlights the administration’s priorities, Congress will ultimately determine what programs to fund and at which levels. The House and Senate have already begun congressional hearings to consider the president’s budget request, and in the coming months Congress will consider the 12 individual spending bills. Some Republicans would like to see spending bills cut to FY 2022 levels, but Democrats and President Biden reject that idea. It’s too early to tell if Congress will be able to pass the spending bills or whether lawmakers will need to resort to a full-year continuing resolution (CR) that would maintain FY 2023 spending levels.

Below are a few highlights of the FY 2024 budget proposal that may be of interest to the campus community:

Chancellor Mnookin Visits DC

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin traveled to Washington, DC last month to discuss the university’s fiscal year 2024 priorities for federal spending legislation. She had great meetings with both of Wisconsin’s senators, and she was able to meet with the majority of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. UW–Madison continues to receive a warm reception on Capitol Hill, and the Chancellor will return to Washington, DC later this month for additional Hill visits and agency meetings.

Pictured above: Chancellor Mnookin meets with Wisconsin Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson.

UW–Madison Day in Washington, DC

The Wisconsin Alumni Association celebrated UW–Madison Day in Washington, DC last week. On Wednesday, more than 100 current Badgers and alumni participated in events on Capitol Hill. After an organizing breakfast, participants walked to the Capitol to lobby members of Congress and their staffs about college affordability and accessibility, as well as the importance of federal funding to research at UW–Madison. Meetings were held with both Wisconsin Senators, the Wisconsin House delegation, and additional members of Congress who represent districts where participating alumni currently live. A lunch was held mid-day during which Badgers were treated to a presentation by professors Paul Wilson and Steffi Diem about fusion energy research and the importance of Department of Energy funding for their work. The day ended with a well-attended reception in the Gold Room of the Rayburn House Office Building where Badgers from across the Mid-Atlantic – including the many alumni currently working on Capitol Hill – were treated to Babcock ice cream, refreshments, and fellowship into the evening.

Following UW Day, UW–Madison’s Steffi Diem spoke on a panel at a WisPolitics breakfast. Her panel, which included researchers from Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee, told the audience about the importance of federal research dollars and how their research relates to their respective institutions. Diem is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Physics who leads the Pegasus-III Experiment, a fusion energy project. Prior to the research panel, Congressman Mark Pocan talked about current events, including the state of the federal spending bills.

Pictured above: UW–Madison supporters meet with Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (left) and Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin (right).

Dean Markel Visits Wisconsin Congressional Delegation in Washington

School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) Dean Mark Markel visited Washington this spring during the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges annual advocacy day. Dean Markel met with Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to provide an overview of SVM, inform them about the great work being done on campus, and provide an update on the ongoing construction project. He also highlighted the Association’s legislative priorities, which include the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program.

Pictured above: Dean Mark Markel meets with Representative Derrick Van Orden (WI-3).

CALS Dean Makes Rounds on Capitol Hill

In mid-March, Glenda Gillaspy, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, visited Washington, DC as part of the annual meeting of the APLU Board on Agriculture’s Council on Agriculture, Research, Extension and Teaching. Dean Gillaspy was joined by two citizen delegates – Outagamie County Board Member Nadine Miller and Bob Wills, owner of Cedar Grove Cheese (with production facilities in Plain and Milwaukee). Together, they visited with staffers who cover agricultural issues for the Wisconsin delegation.

Pictured above: Mark Pocan (WI-2) staffer Medora Jones with Dean Glenda Gillaspy.

Dean Robertson Advocates for NSF and CHIPS & Science Funding in DC

UW–Madison College of Engineering Dean Ian Robertson visited Washington, DC. in February to share information about the return on investment for federal research in Wisconsin. Dean Robertson was joined by UW-Milwaukee’s College of Engineering & Applied Science Dean Brett Peters. The two met with members of the Wisconsin delegation in addition to joining other colleagues to meet with staff from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Knowledge, Science, and Related Agencies, where they made the case to increase funding for the National Science Foundation.

Pictured above: Deans Ian Robertson and Brett Peters visit Washington, DC.

Financial Aid Director Helen Faith Shares Bucky’s Pell Pathway with Congress

In February, Helen Faith, UW–Madison’s Director of Financial Aid, traveled to Washington, DC to highlight the launch of Bucky’s Pell Pathway, a UW–Madison program that meets the full financial need for all Pell-eligible, first-year Wisconsin resident students for four years. Sixty-five percent of UW–Madison undergraduates graduate without student debt, and this program will help increase that number in the years to come. Additionally, Director Faith shared with education staff in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation the need to increase the maximum Pell Grant award allowed by law, the need to simplify the student loan application and repayment process, and the importance of work-study programs.

Pictured above: Helen Faith, Financial Aid Director, and Katy Weisenburger, Assistant Director of Federal Awards, meet with Representative Glenn Grothman (WI-6).

Fusion Day

UW–Madison and Realta Fusion participated in the annual Fusion Day on Capitol Hill last week. The advocacy day focuses on investment in the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Fusion Energy Science program. Wisconsin was represented by Paul Wilson, Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Chair of the Department of Engineering Physics, Steffi Diem, Assistant Professor of Engineering Physics, Kieran Furlong, CEO and Co-Founder at Realta Fusion, Kelly Garcia, PhD student in Engineering Physics, and Kevin Walters, Public Affairs Analyst at WARF. The group met with staff from the Wisconsin delegation and discussed the importance of fusion energy and the advances in fusion research happening in Wisconsin.

Pictured above: at left, Chair of UW–Madison’s Department of Engineering Physics Paul Wilson greets Representative Don Beyer, a fusion champion in Congress. At right, staff of Representative Mike Gallagher (WI-8) and UW–Madison supporters pose for a picture after discussing the importance of fusion research.

Wisconsin in Washington Student Interns Launching their Careers

This Spring, a dozen Wisconsin in Washington (WiW) student interns are launching their professional careers by interning at organizations across Washington, DC. While interning, students take three courses taught by UW–Madison Ambassador in Residence Donald Planty, International Policy Advisor Cynthia Williams, and alum Sam Cornale, Executive Director of the DNC.

In addition to their courses and internships, the students are taking full advantage of Washington by attending professional networking events, WAA DC Chapter events, book talks, and think tank panels, as well as visiting Smithsonian Museums, the Library of Congress, the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Student interns meet with local Badger alumni volunteer mentors and are encouraged to maintain the professional connections they make in DC. Looking ahead, the 30 Summer 2023 WiW student interns are actively applying for their next opportunities, and the Fall 2023 cohort is beginning the application process.

Pictured above: Spring 2023 WiW student interns.

Stay in Touch with the Office of Federal Relations

For updated information about Congress and the administration, please visit the Office of Federal Relations’ website or follow us on Twitter (@UWFedRelations). The Office of Federal Relations also produces a weekly update on federal activities specific to research and science when Congress is in session. Members of the UW—Madison community can sign up for that newsletter here.

As always, if you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please contact Director of Federal Relations Mike Lenn or Associate Director of Federal Relations David Bagby.

From National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding that supports advanced hurricane tracking and lightning predictions to funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) that has helped us take a leap toward quantum computing, federal funding is an essential resource in advancing discovery at UW­–Madison.

To highlight the impact of agency support, the Office of Federal Relations has created a series of fact sheets noting the total contribution of several federal agencies and some key research highlights from the previous fiscal year. These one-page documents highlight agency investments and their impact.

For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded more than $33.9 million to UW­–Madison researchers (ranking the university 17^th in the nation for funding from USDA). Those dollars helped advance projects addressing a nationwide scourge on potato crops, as well as a significant and growing threat to cranberry crops.

The university was 4^th in the nation in research expenditures financed by the Department of Energy, with an investment of $91.7 million from the department in fiscal year 2021-22. That investment is helping researchers extract energy from plant enzymes as well as move researchers closer to a more efficient, resilient nuclear reactor fuel.

For more great examples of federal agency funding impact, review the series on our website.

If you have federally-funded projects at UW–Madison that you’d like to highlight, let us know.

Mike Lenn, Director of Federal Relations: mlenn@wisc.edu

With the results of Tuesday’s election still being determined, Congressional majorities in both the House and Senate are in the balance. The final outcome may take days, if not weeks, to be known. Control of the Senate may be determined by a run-off in Georgia on December 6.

Regardless of which parties ultimately end up controlling the House and Senate, the next two years will likely feature a narrowly divided Congress.

Lawmakers return to Washington next week to kick off what is shaping up to be a very busy lame duck session. Finalizing the fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills and passing the National Defense Authorization Act are at the top of the agenda. Once Congress wraps up the 117^th Congress, the new 118^th Congress will hit the ground running in early January. In the meantime, both Republicans and Democrats will conduct leadership elections and decide on Committee membership.

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Wins Third Term

Senator Ron Johnson narrowly defeated Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes to win another six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Johnson is likely to continue serving as the top Republican on the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Should the Senate flip, Sen. Johnson will likely conduct hearings where he may examine the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, and security lapses at the Capitol on January 6, to name a few.

We expect Sen. Johnson to renew his calls to rein in the federal budget and join other deficit hawks in calling for spending cuts. He will also look to cut government regulations and reduce the size of the federal government’s workforce.

Derrick Van Orden Elected to Represent Wisconsin’s 3^rd Congressional District

Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, defeated State Senator Brad Pfaff in a close race to succeed retiring Congressman Ron Kind. Wisconsin’s 3^rd congressional district is mostly rural and covers southwestern and parts of central Wisconsin. Congressman Kind represented it since 1996, but he announced his retirement last year.

Derrick Van Orden served in the Navy for 26 years, and his service included combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to other deployments around the world. After retiring from the Navy, he consulted for the private sector, and he opened the Butternut Café with his wife, Sara.

Congressman-elect Van Orden’s win flips the seat from Democrats to the Republicans. Six of Wisconsin’s eight congressional seats are now in GOP control.

Rep. Steil in Position for House Administration Committee Chairmanship

Janesville Congressman Bryan Steil is in position to lead the House panel charged with the oversight of federal elections and the day-to-day operations of the House of Representatives. The Committee is also responsible for overseeing security on the House side of the Capitol. Greater public access to House buildings is expected next year pending adequate Capitol Police force staffing. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) is Rep. Steil’s main competition for the gavel.

Lame Duck Outlook

Lame duck sessions are not well-known for their productivity, but this year could be different as House and Senate Democrats try to pass as much legislation as possible should Republicans take control of the House in January. It is virtually guaranteed that Congress will pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act and a FY 2023 omnibus appropriations bill, but some Republicans will urge their leadership to wait until the new year if it turns out they have more power. The retirements of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Republican Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) are likely to garner enough goodwill to complete action on the spending bills by the end of the year. Omnibus spending bills always contain riders, and items that may hitch a ride include supplemental disaster funding in the wake of Hurricane Ian and an energy permitting proposal that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promised Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in exchange for his support of the Inflation Reduction Act in August.

It’s possible, but unlikely, Congress will raise the nation’s borrowing limit during the lame duck. This would be an especially contentious issue next year were Republicans to gain control of the House with President Biden in the White House. It’s unclear when the limit will need to be raised—it could be as early as the summer depending on the year-end spending bill combined with the president’s student loan forgiveness plan, or it could be later in the year.

118^th Congress Outlook

If Republicans were to take control of the House, there would be limited opportunities to find common ground on fundamental policy issues. It would be a struggle to accomplish the bare minimum “must do’s,” let alone pass legislation like a Higher Education Act reauthorization bill. It is unlikely Congress would be able to pass a budget resolution in the spring given the narrow margins in both chambers, so budget reconciliation would not be a tool the Senate can use to pass legislation with a simple majority. Therefore, legislation would have to pass the Senate with a 60-vote majority.

While there is an effort by some Members to address the debt limit in the lame duck session, as of this writing that seems unlikely. In that case, raising or suspending the debt limit and funding the government (for FY 2024 and FY 2025) will be the biggest challenges for the new Congress. However, the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 provide instructive examples of how a Republican House and a Democratic president might eventually work together to address the debt ceiling, enact fiscal reforms, and pass a multi-year spending deal. Major entitlement reforms are unlikely to occur in the next Congress, but a return to modest fiscal restraint—perhaps through new caps on discretionary spending that could affect federal research agencies—and budget process reforms may be possible.

As noted above, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is unlikely in the upcoming Congress, but education issues will remain a focus of some committees. Republicans on the House Education & Labor Committee are sure to examine President Biden’s loan forgiveness plan as well as Education Department regulation proposals that they find controversial, such as those related to Title IX and transgender students.

The U.S. relationship with China will also remain in the spotlight. Republicans have announced that a bipartisan select committee on China will be established to formally look at their economic and human rights record and provide policy recommendations. Green Bay Rep. Mike Gallagher recently said there is “huge opportunity in divided government” to get “bipartisan work” done on China. Other Republican lawmakers have raised concerns with Chinese students studying at American universities and the Chinese Communist Party’s “influence” in American universities, including endowments.

Key Dates

2022

• Nov 14: House and Senate return for Lame Duck Session
• Dec 6: Georgia election runoff
• Dec 16: Continuing Resolution expires

2023

• Feb 6: Statutory deadline for president to submit FY 2024 budget
• April 15: Statutory deadline for Congress to adopt FY 2024 budget resolution
• Summer: Debt ceiling must be raised or suspended.
• Sept 30: FY 2023 ends
• Oct 1: FY 2024 begins

Learn more about the work of the Office of Federal Relations by subscribing to our updates, visiting our website or following us on Twitter.

The House Appropriations Committee passed all 12 fiscal year (FY) 2023 spending bills, and 6 of the 12 have passed the full House. House leaders had hoped to pass all the bills before adjourning for the August recess, but the pace has slowed in recent weeks. Last week, the Senate Appropriations released its FY 2023 bills, but there are no plans to consider them.

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Madison Congressman secured congressionally directed funding for three UW-Madison projects. These include $6 million for one of the agricultural research stations, $1 million to upgrade our aging helium plant, and $1 million to enable the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery to expand student-led research for new antibiotics and offer additional high-quality STEM opportunities.

Lawmakers have yet to agree on the total spending level and the split between defense and non-defense funding, and they are unlikely to resolve differences any time soon. Republicans are seeking more money for defense spending than the Democrats proposed, and with the waning number of legislative days left in the year an agreement will not happen until a lame duck session after the midterm elections.

Congress will need to pass a continuing resolution (CR) in September to extend current funding levels before government funding expires at midnight on October 1. The CR is likely to last until sometime in mid-November.

Below are FY 2023 funding highlights of interest to the campus community:

Congress passes “Chips and Science” Act

Last week, the House and Senate both passed the CHIPS and Science Act. While the bill’s centerpiece is more than $50 billion in funding and tax incentives to strengthen domestic semiconductor production, the bill also reauthorizes the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Office of Science. A summary is available here.

Faculty at UW–Madison will be particularly interested to learn that the bill authorizes the National Science Foundation at $81 billion over 5 years, which is a substantial increase above the baseline. The legislation also authorizes up to six bioenergy research centers at $30 million per year, which is a $5 million increase from current levels—UW–Madison is home to the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. There are also authorizations for new fusion and high energy physics programs that our faculty should be able to capitalize on. The bill seeks to establish a program to reduce the consumption of helium and encourage helium recycling and reuse.

The bill also directs the Department to create 20 geographically distributed “regional technology hubs” to build regional innovation; $10 billion is authorized for this effort. These hubs will focus on technology development, job creation, and expanding U.S. innovation capacity. A 2019 Brookings Institution report indicates that Madison is the best positioned city in America to lead the technology growth.

Global Health Advocates Educate Lawmakers

Dr. Jorge Osorio, who leads UW–Madison’s Global Health Institute, visited Washington this week with Associate Director Calyn Ostrowski to give lawmakers and congressional staff an overview of GHI’s mission to improve health for Wisconsin and the world. The Global Health Institute has established a successful One Health Center in Colombia and is looking to expand to West Africa and India. In addition to scientific training and research, the centers conduct disease surveillance and pathogen discovery, which will advance global security and strengthen capacity of a pandemic-ready workforce across industries, ultimately carrying the Wisconsin Ideas to all parts of the world.

“DC Meets Madison” Event Returns to Nation’s Capital

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual “DC Meets Madison” event earlier this summer. Participants met with Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, attended a private lunch with the delegation’s chiefs of staff, and joined hundreds of Wisconsin natives and friends at a rooftop reception overlooking the U.S. Capitol building.

College of Engineering associate professor Krishanu Saha represented UW–Madison in the congressional meetings, where he had the opportunity to explain how federal funds help advance his biomedical research and advocate for increased federal research funding.

UW Hosts Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee Staff

The Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee professional staff visited campus last month to learn more about our research funded by the Department of Agriculture. The staff write the annual funding bill that includes USDA research funding. Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin chairs the subcommittee.

The visit included a tour of the Meat Sciences and Animal Biologics Discovery Building, the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center, the West Madison Agricultural Research Station, and the Center for Dairy Research. Some staff also visited a local cranberry marsh and the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, which is home to one of the nation’s premier dairy heifer research facilities.

Wisconsin in Washington Spring Semester Well Underway

This summer, 27 Badgers participated in the Wisconsin in Washington internship program. These talented students interned at a variety of placements, including The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Abernathy MacGregor, Leidos, Save the Children, and The National Conference of State Legislatures. Additionally, students worked in the congressional offices of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Wisconsin Representatives Bryan Steil, Tom Tiffany, and Mark Pocan.

While interning full time, students also completed a 3-credit course on Organizations and Professional Development with Wisconsin in Washington’s Interim Program Director, Dr. Cynthia Williams. In addition to attending special events including a WisPolitics breakfast, the DC Meets Madison reception, and museum visits, the summer cohort celebrated the 4th of July on the roof of the Department of the Interior with Secretary Deb Haaland [pictured above]. We can certainly say that these Badgers got the true inside DC experience this summer!

Stay in Touch with the Office of Federal Relations

For updated information about Congress and the administration, follow us on Twitter. The Office of Federal Relations also produces a weekly update on federal activities specific to research and science when Congress is in session. Members of the UW—Madison community can sign up for that newsletter here.

As always, if you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please feel free to contact us.