ASN Advocacy

The American Society for Nutrition advocates for its members by working with Congress and federal agencies on issues that impact the way nutrition scientists and clinicians conduct research or treat their patients. The Society’s members and staff also collaborate with organizations on common issues related to nutrition to build coalitions and advance issues of mutual interest.

Congressional Briefings

Coalition Involvement

ASN works through partnerships with like-minded organizations and coalitions, an alliance of organizations whose combined action can lead to a mutually beneficial end result: to advance human nutrition research and its funding, and ensure the sound application and translation of nutrition science in legislation and policy.

ASN is a member of various national coalitions and partnerships, including:

Aging in Motion (AIM) Coalition
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)
Dietary Guidelines Alliance
Friends of National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
Federation of American Societies in Experimental Biology (FASEB)
Friends of National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International
MyPlate National Strategic Partner
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA)
National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NC-FAR)
Non-communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance
Osteoarthritis Action Alliance
Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance
Supporters of Agricultural Research (SOAR)
Research!America

Hill Visits

On December 6, 2017, 10 ASN members participated in ASN Capitol Hill visits. Representatives of ASN met with 20 congressional offices, including four members of Congress, to urge them to negotiate an agreement to lift the budget caps established under the 2011 Budget Control Act and to pass a fiscal year 2018 budget through an omnibus appropriations bill or any format that avoids another “continuing resolution” (CR). ASN members framed their discussions by sharing personal stories about how federal funding cuts affect their research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other research agencies. Participants suggested that Congress view nutrition research laboratories as small businesses, which lose purchasing power and are forced to lay-off staff as a result of funding cuts. Several also spoke about the importance of having funding to train the next generation of nutrition scientists as well as the lack of career opportunities available for younger researchers in the current climate. Members of Congress and their staff expressed appreciation for the information shared by ASN members.

ASN has also held Hill Day events in 2007, 2013, and 2014, and regularly joins nearly 400 other advocates from scientific organizations, patient groups, and research institutions to take part in the Rally for Medical Research Capitol Hill Day. Now in its fifth year, this event urges Congress to provide support for the NIH.