ASTC represents the interests of its members before the United States Congress and Federal agencies that provide support to science and technology centers and museums across the country. To communicate the needs and positions of ASTC members, we issue statements, sign onto coalition letters, and submit Congressional testimony. Here are several of our recent actions.
| Date | Topic | Lead Organization | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2025 | Protecting IMLS | Natural Science Collections Alliance | Letter to House and Senate leadership asking to protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services from funding and staffing cuts. View the letter. |
| March 13, 2025 | NSF Budget for FY 2026 | Coalition for National Science Funding | Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee chairs requesting al least $9.9 billion for the National Science Foundation in fiscal year 2026. View the letter. |
| August 30, 2024 | Network of the National Library of Medicine | ASTC | Response to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Request for Information on “Evolving the Network for the National Library of Medicine.” View ASTC’s comments. |
| August 14, 2024 | National Institutes of Health ENGAGE Initiaitve | ASTC | Response to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Request for Information on “Strategies for Maximizing Public Engagement in NIH Supported Clinical Research.” View ASTC’s comments. |
| May 23, 2024 | FY25 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2025 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. View the letter and blog post. |
| May 23, 2024 | FY25 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and U.S. Department of Education. View the letter and blog post. |
| May 10, 2024 | FY25 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2025 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. View the letter and blog post. |
| May 3, 2024 | FY25 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and U.S. Department of Education. View the letter and blog post. |
| May 3, 2024 | FY25 Appropriations | STEM Education Coalition | Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees expressing disappointment in cuts to STEM education and workforce programs and calling for increased funding for programs at the Department of Education and National Science Foundation. View the letter. |
| December 4, 2023 | Uniform Guidance for Grants and Agreements | Results for America | Response to Request for Comment on Uniform Guidance for Grants and Agreements (2 CFR), including support for community engagement activities. View the response. |
| July 27, 2023 | NSF TIP Directorate | ASTC | Response to Request for Information on Developing a Roadmap for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships at the National Science Foundation. View the response. |
| May 18, 2023 | FY24 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and U.S. Department of Education. View the letter. |
| May 12, 2023 | FY24 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. View the letter. |
| April 14, 2023 | FY24 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. View the letter and blog post. |
| March 23, 2023 | FY24 Appropriations | National museum associations | Letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding FY 2024 appropriations for the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and U.S. Department of Education. View the letter and blog post. |
| January 19, 2022 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Letter to the White House requesting additional relief funds for museums, including extending funding through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program and additional funds to the Paycheck Protection Program for museums not meeting eligibility for SVOG. View the letter. |
| January 12, 2022 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Letter to Congressional leadership to request additional relief funds for museums, including extending funding through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program and additional funds to the Paycheck Protection Program for museums not meeting eligibility for SVOG. View the letter. |
| July 13, 2021 | Infrastructure | National museum associations | Letter to Congressional leadership asking that museums be included in infrastructure legislation. View the letter and blog post. |
| May 4, 2021 | NSF | ASTC | Letter to leadership of House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology thanking them for strong support for public engagement with science in NSF for the Future Act. View the letter and blog post. |
| August 3, 2020 | COVID-19 | Afterschool Alliance | Letter urging the meaningful inclusion of afterschool and community partners in planning and implementing the 2020-2021 school year for students, families, and communities. View the letter and the accompanying “blueprint” for states and districts. |
| July 22, 2020 | COVID-19 | North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) | Request to Congressional leadership to support improvements to the schoolyard for outdoor learning and environmental education in any relief package for schools. View the letter. |
| July 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Letter to Congress raising up the continued threats faced by museums and requesting several legislative actions in the next Federal relief bill that would provide support for our community. View the letter. |
| July 8, 2020 | COVID-19 | Professional scientific societies | Request to the White House, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State to withdraw a proposed modification to the Students and Exchange Visitor Program that would prohibit non-immigrant higher education students from remaining in the U.S. if their classes were to move to online-only in the Fall. View the letter. |
| May 7, 2020 | COVID-19 | [Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition | Request to Congressional leadership to include funding for public school infrastructure in any future COVID-19 stimulus package. View the letter. |
| May 5, 2020 | COVID-19 | Charitable Giving Coalition | Request to Congressional leadership to expand the temporary universal charitable deduction and enhance incentives to encourage giving to nonprofits. View the letter. |
| April 20, 2020 | COVID-19 | Professional scientific societies | Letter in support of House and Senate resolutions to denounce anti-Asian discrimination as related to COVID-19. Read the blog post and download the letter. |
| April 17, 2020 | COVID-19 | STEM Education Coalition | Federal policy recommendations to address the challenges faced by the STEM education community due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the recommendations. |
| April 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Recommendations for the role of science engagement in future Federal agency investments for COVID-19 response and recovery, sent to the House of Representatives’ Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee. Download the letter and read the blog post. |
| April 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | Coalition for National Science Funding | Recommendations for future investment in the National Science Foundation to aid in COVID-19 response and recovery, sent to the House of Representatives’ SST Committee. View the letter. |
| April 6, 2020 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Request to Congressional leadership for support for nonprofit museums as they navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—including a dedicated fund $6 billion through the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Read the blog post or download the letter. |
| March 18, 2020 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Request to Congressional leadership requesting at least $4 billion for nonprofit museums in COVID-19 economic relief legislation. Read the blog post or download the letter. |
| March 13, 2020 | COVID-19 | National museum associations | Request to Congressional leadership to consider museums as eligible recipients of economic relief in any emergency funding supplemental advanced by Congress. Read the blog post or download the letter. |
| February 25, 2020 | FY21 Appropriations | Museums Advocacy Day 2020 | Suggested FY 2021 funding levels for select Federal agencies, and requests that members of Congress to consider the role of museums in ensuring American’s lifelong engagement with STEM. Download the brief. |
Advocacy Actions Prior to 2020
| Date | Topic | Lead Organization | Action |
| May 9, 2019 | FY20 Appropriations | National museum associations | Testimony submitted to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding funding for the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the U.S. Department of Education. |
| March 19, 2019 | FY20 Appropriations | ASTC | Statement from Cristin Dorgelo, ASTC’s President and CEO, regarding the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget. View the statement. |
| February 13, 2018 | FY19 Appropriations | ASTC | Statement from Cristin Dorgelo, ASTC’s President and CEO, regarding the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget. View the statement |