ScienceDebate 2012

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Do you care whether our government's policies are based on sound science? Worried about health or your kids' science education? Want to know what's up with climate change and energy? Or what we're doing to build the next great American economy? See the Top American Science Questions and sign the call!

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Are we losing what made America great?
A Debate on Science and America’s Future

"Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, we call for public debates in which the U.S. presidential and congressional candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy."

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The Top American Science Questions: 2012
Congressional Edition

"Whenever the people are well-informed," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government."

Science now affects every aspect of life and is an increasingly important topic in national policymaking.

ScienceDebate.org invited thousands of scientists, engineers and concerned citizens to submit what they felt were the the most important science questions facing the nation that candidates should be debating on the campaign trail.

ScienceDebate then worked with the leading US science and engineering organizations listed at left to refine the questions and arrive at a universal consensus on what the most important science policy questions facing the United States are in 2012.

Candidates readily debate jobs and the economy even though they are not economists; they debate foreign policy and military intervention even though they are not diplomats or generals; they debate faith and values even though they are not priests or pastors. They should also debate the big science questions that affect all voters' lives.

The eight congressional questions are a subset of the fourteen we asked the candidates for president. We chose Scientific American as a media partner to help us reach mainstream voters, and together we asked the questions of the following 33 leaders of congressional committees that have an impact on US science.

Senate Member	Response	Position
Lamar Alexander, R-TN	No Response	Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Barbara Boxer, D-CA	No Response	Chair, Committee on Environment and Public Works
Kent Conrad, D-ND	No Response	Chair, Budget Committee
Jim DeMint, R-SC	No Response	Senior Member, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchinson is retiring)
Michael Enzi, R-WY	Declined	Ranking Member, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Dianne Feinstein, D-CA	Response	Chair, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Tom Harkin, D-IA	Response	Chair, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
James Inhofe, R-OK	No Response	Ranking Member, Committee on Environment and Public Works
Mitch McConnell, R-KY	Declined	Senate Minority Leader
Lisa Murkowski, R-AK	No Response	Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Patty Murray, D-WA	No Response	Senior Member, Committee on the Budget (Chairman Kent Conrad is retiring)
Harry Reid, D-NV	No Response	Senate Majority Leader
Pat Roberts, R-KS	No Response	Ranking Member, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Jay Rockefeller, D-WV	Response	Chair, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Jeff Sessions, R-AL	Declined	Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget
Debbie Stabenow, D-MI	No Response	Chair, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Ron Wyden, D-OR	Declined	Senior Member, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Chairman Jeff Bingaman is retiring)
House of Representatives
Timothy Bishop, D-NY-1	Response	Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
John Boehner, R-OH-8	Declined	Speaker of the House
Scott Garrett, R-NJ-5	No Response	Vice Chair, Committee on the Budget (Chair Paul Ryan is the Republican vice presidential candidate)
Bob Gibbs, R-OH-18	No Response	Chair, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Ralph Hall, R-TX-4	Response	Chair, Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Doc Hastings, R-WA-4	No Response	Chair, Committee on Natural Resources
Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-TX-30	No Response	Ranking Member, Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Frank Lucas, R-OK-3	No Response	Chair, Committee on Agriculture; Member, Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Edward J. Markey, D-MA-7	No Response	Ranking Member, Committee on Natural Resources
John Mica, R-FL-7	Response	Chair, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Nancy Pelosi, D-CA-8	Response	House Minority Leader
Collin Peterson, D-MN-7	Declined	Ranking Member, Agriculture Committee
Nick Rahall, D-WV-3	No Response	Ranking Member, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Fred Upton, R-MI-6	No Response	Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce
Chris Van Hollen, D-MD-8	Response	Ranking Member, House Budget Committee
Henry Waxman, D-CA-30	Response	Ranking Member, Energy and Commerce Committee

Are we losing what made America great?A Debate on Science and America’s Future

Most Recent

The Top American Science Questions: 2012Congressional Edition

Are we losing what made America great?
A Debate on Science and America’s Future

The Top American Science Questions: 2012
Congressional Edition