December 18, 2025
The Honorable Ted Cruz, Chairman
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
254 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510
Dear Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell,
The American Anthropological Association writes to ask that National Science Foundation (NSF) programs supporting dissertation research in anthropology and other social sciences be fully funded. We also urge your strong support for anthropology and the social sciences as essential components of the United States’ scientific infrastructure, economic vitality, national security, and public health. As Congress considers major legislative actions that will shape the future of federal research and historic preservation, including pending changes to the NSF, it is critical to recognize the indispensable contributions these fields make to the nation.
Founded in 1902, the AAA is the world’s largest professional anthropology organization, with 7,000+ members in the United States and throughout the world. Today’s most pressing challenges—public health crises, climate change, technological disruption, national security threats, and infrastructure modernization—are human challenges. Anthropology provides evidence-based understanding of human behavior, culture, and social systems that federal agencies, industry partners, and community leaders rely on to design effective, efficient, and equitable solutions. Through its four fields (cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology), the discipline holistically strengthens U.S. capacity in public health, defense readiness, climate resilience, workforce development, and innovation.
Indeed, Anthropology enhances federal missions across multiple agencies:
- National Security & Defense: Cultural and linguistic expertise improves military readiness, international diplomacy, and cross-cultural operations.
- Public Health & Pandemic Preparedness: Anthropological research informs vaccine uptake, community health outreach, and emergency response strategies.
- AI, Cybersecurity, & Technology: Human-centered design and behavioral analytics are essential to building safe and trustworthy technological systems.
- Environmental Stewardship: Archaeology and Indigenous knowledge provide long-term data on climate adaptation, fire management, and sustainability.
Further, these investments also show measurable economic returns:
- Heritage tourism contributes over $125 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
- Cultural Resource Management (CRM)—a sector directly strengthened by archaeological research—constitutes a $1.2 billion industry employing more than 17,000 professionals nationwide.
- Federally funded anthropology research supports innovation in data science, AI development, cybersecurity, conservation biology, and climate adaptation.
The NSF is the nation’s premier engine of basic scientific research. Its investments form the foundation for breakthroughs that drive innovation, industry growth, and global competitiveness. Research funded through the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), including all areas of anthropology, is no exception. Archaeological science, for example, provides invaluable insights into how past societies adapted to climate volatility, food insecurity, pandemics, and migration—critical knowledge for informing current and future policy.
For decades, the NSF’s Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) have been a cornerstone in training the next generation of researchers whose skills feed into these vital sectors. However, last week we learned that the NSF has archived the SBE DDRIG programs in archaeology, and it has come to our attention that the programs in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology are currently not accepting applications at all. These cuts effectively close the opportunities to train and recruit the next generation of American social scientists. These are not isolated cuts; they follow multiple recent reductions in support for SBE activities. Taken together, there is increasing concern that NSF may be preparing to eliminate SBE funding entirely, despite Congress explicitly requiring the Foundation to support social and behavioral science research under 42 U.S. Code Chapter 16.
The consequences of such a move would be devastating, undermining U.S. competitiveness, limiting the global leadership in our field by anthropologists based at U.S. universities, crippling major economic sectors, closing off research pathways for early-career scholars, and severely restricting the knowledge base necessary for effective federal policy in public health, environmental planning, heritage management, and national security.
President Truman’s words at the signing of the NSF Act in 1950 remain deeply relevant: “Our ability to survive and grow as a Nation depends to a very large degree upon our scientific progress… We must maintain our leadership.” That leadership depends on the full range of scientific inquiry—including the social and behavioral sciences.
The American Anthropological Association respectfully asks that you:
- Urge the NSF to restore the SBE DDRIG programs immediately and reaffirm the agency’s statutory commitment to supporting social and behavioral science research.
- Protect the SBE Directorate from elimination or downsizing, recognizing its essential contributions to U.S. competitiveness and federal science missions.
- Support robust federal funding for anthropology and related sciences, including through NSF, NEH, NIH, and federal agencies that rely on anthropological expertise.
Anthropology is a social science that strengthens communities, increases efficiency across federal programs, and drives innovation. Its contributions to economic development, national security, heritage preservation, and scientific discovery are indispensable to the United States. Continued federal support is not only an investment in research; it is an investment in the nation’s future.
Thank you for your leadership and for your attention to this critical issue. We would be honored to provide additional information or connect you with colleagues working directly in your state or district.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Rouse
President
American Anthropological Association