Science and Technology
As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, I work hard to make sure the scientific perspective has a seat at the table during policy discussions in Washington.
I am proud that our district is home to two world-class research laboratories, Argonne and Fermilab, where I spent 24 years as a high-energy particle physicist. Our national labs are the crown jewels of America’s science infrastructure, and I am proud to support robust funding so they can continue to conduct the research that is critical to addressing the challenges we face.
America must remain the world leader for science research and technological innovation. I was proud to help pass the CHIPS & Science Act, critical legislation to bolster our science infrastructure and promote American scientific and technological leadership for decades to come.
I’m also proud to support funding for increased STEM educational opportunities for students of all ages. It’s important that we open up opportunities for students from all backgrounds in the STEM fields, and I will continue to advocate for those critical resources.
More on Science and Technology
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) announced that Yasmeen Hussain will join his Washington, DC office. She is sponsored by the Biophysical Society as part of the Congressional Science & Engineering Fellows Program that is managed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Hussain completed her doctorate in Biology at the University of Washington and recently worked with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Smarter EPSCoR Act to ensure research dollars are distributed in an equitable manner. Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) is also an original cosponsor of the bill. The legislation would correct the formula that determines eligibility for EPSCoR program funding so that it is based on a per-capita basis instead of a per-state basis. This change would give priority to researchers in states that are genuinely under-represented in NSF research grants regardless of the state's population.
Bill Foster, U.S. Congressman (IL-11), The Hill
Each day, more than 90 Americans die from heroin and opioid overdoses. In my home state of Illinois, there were 1,835 overdose deaths in 2015 — a 16 percent increase in just two years. New synthetic versions of heroin like fentanyl and carfentanil are exacerbating the crisis. Overdose deaths from these drugs increased by over 70 percent from 2014 to 2015. Just last month, President Trump called the opioid crisis a national emergency.
Mike Mallory, The Herald-News
JOLIET – It's time we stop naming substance users as addicts, Will County Director of Substance Use Initiatives Dr. Kathleen Burke said.
"I want to ask everyone today to stop using the word ‘addict' because it's derogatory and it stigmatizes," Burke said Wednesday. "People have a medical disease. It's a substance use disorder. ‘Substance users' is what I try to say."
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) spoke on the U.S. House floor in support of an amendment that would provide $2.5 million to the Office of Technology Assessment. The amendment was offered as a part of H.R. 3219, FY2018 Appropriations Bill.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued a statement on the responses from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the number of cuts if the President's FY2018 Budget Request takes effect.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Foster (D-IL) issued a statement on the National Science Foundation's reported cuts if the President's FY2018 Budget Request takes effect. The agency estimates that 13,000 researchers, professionals, and students could be affected by the proposed budget cuts.
Renee Tomell, Kane County Chronicle
As a former scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster recently issued a statement in honor of its 50-year history.
His office also announced the joint attempt of Foster and fellow Democrats to find out the future of Fermilab and other national laboratories in light of President Donald Trump's budget request for fiscal 2018.
Washington, D.C. - It is an honor to recognize the fiftieth anniversary of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where I spent most of my career before becoming a Member of Congress. Fifty years ago, in the midst of the Cold War, scientists from all over the world came together to develop new technologies and to explore the fundamental nature of matter. The discoveries scientists made at that laboratory built on the prairies of Illinois will remain in the science textbooks forever, and I am proud to have been among them.
Editorial, Chicago Tribune
For decades, Chicago has had a backyard view of science at its most sublime. At Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, physicists hone our understanding of the universe by trailblazing the frontier of the subatomic.