1. RHIC/AGS UEC Update on Budget Response and Feedback
Justin Frantz
7/7/17

2. Status Have not had time to look into in detail:
appears House has released budget “mark”
Looks more positive: FLAT SCIENCE FUNDING – Senate likely to be a little higher?
Change in letters to Senate Approp Committee? letter
templates?

3. 2017 FY18 DOE Presidential Budget Request Response: NP
Slides from AUM
w/ Updates in Red
Since release of Trump Budget Request, we have been pursuing strategy of working with other groups in NP –unified reactions. Current agreement is each group can/will pursue our own responses, but be sure to advocate primarily for all NP and Office of Science more generally. UPDATE ON FORWARD SLIDE
We expect DNP to organize something more global eventually, possibly at APS level. Talk to LHC folks sounds like DPF is at similar stage. Mid-July?
HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING ON THIS
We think DNP EC has sent letters to Chairs of Congressional Appropriations Committees (AC) ~a couple weeks ago.
Letter on behalf of US LHC HI program sent to AC this past Wednesday by Harris,Cole,Bolek W., etc...

4. 2017 FY18 DOE Presidential Budget Request Response: RHIC UEC
Slides from AUM
w/ Updates in Red
Already started:
1) UEC Congressional letter writing and CALLING campaign
2) Petition: please sign! (Current signatures ~75?)
3) Collection of questionnaire/feedback data
All of the above on rhicusers.blogspot.com - will continue promoting these activities for ~next few weeks – NEED TODO WILL DO NEXT WEEK: INDIVIDUALS on our master User’s list (not using any gov resourses/lists/etc.)
Still to do:
Several signs from yesterday: quickly send letter to AC’s (~today—mostly based on petition text)
½ DONE : LETTERS SENT JUST AFTER AUM TO 7 HOUSE CONGRESSPEOPLE ON APPROPRIATIONS /ENERGY COMMITTEES  GOT REPS/ADDRESSES FROM DNP
NOW SENATE LETTERS NEED REWORDED (SUGGESTIONS) AND SENT. Paul Doucette/T. Phillips BSA/Battelle Lobbyists will deliver
Longer timescale : send letter to Acting Director of Office of Science, expressing disapproval of aspects of strategy? (The “constraints”)
Stay tuned, ask that Users do the same, and communicate further actions (e.g. by APS) to Users as necessary.
Reconsider strategies when Congressional “marks” are released.
Next Year: Be prepared to do it all again, and again the next year, …
ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY LIKELY-TO-BE-UPDATED TIMESCALES?

5. Letter Sent to HOUSE AC’s

6. Letter Cont

7. Conclusion
Suggestions/Discussion

8. Backup

9. Context: FY17
Continuing Resolution for FY17 (Current FY) Enacted in ~April 17 (>7 mo late) DOE Budget of $30.2 B, Office of Science 5.7 B, NP 635 M
From DC Day handout:

10. The Budget Request: Numbers
DOE Overall 28.0 B down 1.6 B from 29.6 B 2016 (-5%)
Majority of Cuts: Office of Science: 4.5 B down 0.9 B from 5.4 B (-17%)
NP: 502 M down 114M from 617 M (-17%)
Down 119 from FY17 Enacted (-19%)
Compared to “Modest Growth” needed from NSAC report: +1.6% , 21% below where we need to be
Other Science Areas:
Advanced Computing + 100M to 600 M
(intended for negotiation in other areas?)
Fusion -128M to 300 M
Basic Eng Sc -300 M to 1.5 B
High Energy -122M to 672 M (-15.3%) (fared best?)

11. The Budget Request: Implications for NP
RHIC Spin Program Ended
US LHC Participation Ended
Ph.D. Students , “Switching back”?
Research Cut by 42% down 15 M to 21 M. (University Groups)
RHIC Operation -4% Beam Energy Scan still happens in FY18

12. RHIC UEC Response: Previous Discussion / Followup from Last Week
I have contacted Jlab UGBoD (User Group Board of Directors == RHIC UEC) Chair Larry Weinstein/Government Relations Director Nadia Fomin– they are interested in pooling resources, common petition/letter writing
I have contacted DNP Exec Committee who is also organizing such things
FRIB Users Group already had online petition up last week:
EIC UG Wrote and Sent Letter to DOE (others?) (Link that Bernd S sent in last week,
I have contacted DC Day organizers
Any feedback from Berndt or NSAC members on any discussions from recent NSAC mtg?

13. Proposal: Outreach
Write letter outlining specific impact to RHIC Users (see draft sent out separately)
Addressed to who is unclear yet
Either:
Set up petition page with link to this letter on rhicuec.org or rhic specific page
Set up common petition page with Jlab UG linking our letter and theirs, and/or common letter
How to use petitions? data?
Arrange congressional letter writing campaign hopefully in common with other NP groups at least Jlab this summer
MSU Professional Lobbyist Sarah Walter recommended waiting till dates of Appropriations Bill Release are announced.
Advertise petition links publically!!!!

14. Proposal: Other Actions
Coordinate with RHIC Experiment Management teams.
Something at the AUM: Discussion session? Poster? Publicize Petition
ERHIC, sPHENIX Implications?
What else????