Capitol Connection

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 – passed on the first day of 2013 by a 257-167 vote in the House, after passing by an 89-8 vote in the Senate – makes substantial changes to the tax code, and likely lets the country avoid recession, but it does not address the fundamental question for research funding: how to avoid the across-the-board sequestration. Thus, it is essentially a first step towards a more comprehensive fiscal fix, making some progress but leaving the future of science funding in limbo.