Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster U.S. leadership in STEM by requiring federal research agencies to help address the financial insecurity crisis among graduate and postdoctoral researchers. The Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance American Resilience & Competitiveness in Higher Education & Research (RESEARCHER) Act would also commission studies to better understand the landscape of financial insecurity for these researchers and improve the STEM career pipeline.

The scientific workforce is fueled by our graduate and postdoctoral researchers making groundbreaking discoveries and technological innovations that help protect American global competitiveness. However, these young researchers face significant financial stressors — including food insecurity, student loan debt, housing costs, and child care costs — that threaten to force many of them to drop out of the STEM pipeline entirely.

In a 2023 “Postdoctoral Barriers to Success” survey, nearly 95 percent of postdoctoral researchers reported that their salary negatively affected their professional or personal lives, with 85 percent indicating that a lack of benefits was harming their careers. In California, the percentage of University of California graduate students facing food insecurity has increased dramatically in recent years, from 21 percent in 2021 to 35 percent in 2023.

“As a mechanical engineer, I know a strong STEM workforce pipeline is essential to securing America’s global leadership and promoting lifesaving scientific and technological innovation. But rising costs of living and insufficient salaries are forcing graduate and postdoctoral researchers to look toward other careers,” said Senator Padilla. “The current system is unsustainable for researchers in California and across the country. Our bipartisan bill would help address and improve our understanding of the widespread challenges young researchers face — like food insecurity, student loan debt, health, housing, and child care — to support the researchers who will guide the future of our scientific enterprise.”

“To remain globally competitive, it is critical that our nation is supporting and prioritizing STEM education and research,” said Senator Moran. “Recent reports demonstrate that financial insecurity is a major barrier for postdoctoral research. This legislation will help equip universities with the tools to better support the success of STEM students in higher education and encourage postdoctoral researchers to pursue a degree in the Midwest.”

“Although a vital part of the scientific enterprise, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have endured insufficient support to sustain their most basic needs while doing innovative science.  The Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance American Resilience and Competitiveness in Higher Education and Research, or RESEARCHER Act, is imperative to addressing these barriers. From increasing access to affordable housing, food and health care to addressing costs of caregiving for family members, this legislation seeks to standardize policies and guidance for the federal government agencies to examine as they provide financial support for the future STEM workforce. The University of California thanks Sen. Padilla for his leadership in introducing the RESEARCHER Act and encourages Congress to pass this important legislation quickly,” said UC Vice President for Research & Innovation Theresa A. Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E.

“The California State University applauds the introduction of the RESEARCHER Act. Addressing the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers is critical to ensuring a strong and sustainable research workforce. This legislation is an important step toward creating equitable and supportive conditions for the next generation of innovators and scholars,” said Dr. Ganesh Raman, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research at the California State University.

“Fair compensation is the issue most frequently raised by postdoctoral researchers nationally,” said Thomas P. Kimbis, executive director and chief executive officer of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). “The NPA encourages passage of the RESEARCHER Act to increase understanding of the financial needs of postdocs and graduate students, including locality pay issues, and steps that can be taken to address them.”

“Graduate students and postdocs are the future of the nation’s STEM workforce, yet we are failing to pay many a competitive, livable wage. The RESEARCHER Act is a first step towards ensuring a continued, thriving U.S. scientific enterprise in an increasingly competitive world,” said Jonathan A. Bagger, American Physical Society CEO.

“AGU applauds the RESEARCHER Act for working to support our nation’s student and early career scientists.  Science needs us like never before with support and resources. By reducing the financial hardships for graduate and postdoctoral researchers, the bill will help increase participation in STEM fields and help build long-term American leadership and innovation in the sciences,” said American Geophysical Union.

“Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have long been the foundation of America’s standing as a global leader in science and technology—often while facing enormous financial uncertainty. The RESEARCHER Act is a vital step toward giving these researchers the stability they deserve to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge and maintaining U.S. leadership in innovation,” said Michael Espinal and Braden Gilleland, Co-Chairs of Federal Affairs, MIT Graduate Student Council.

Specifically, the RESEARCHER Act would:

• Require federal research agencies to implement policies to address the financial instability of graduate and postdoctoral researchers based on policy guidelines developed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy;
• Increase data collection on the financial instability of graduate and postdoctoral researchers by amending the CHIPS and Science Act and directing the National Science Foundation to award institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations with grants to research the subject;
• Commission a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study on the status of graduate and postdoctoral researcher financial insecurity; and
• Direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the implementation of the guidelines enacted by federal research agencies and make recommendations to improve said guidelines.

The RESEARCHER Act is endorsed by the American Physical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Mathematical Association, National Postdoctoral Association, Association for Women in Science, American Association of Immunologists, University of California, California State University, and the MIT Student Graduate Council.

As a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) mechanical engineering graduate and a Commissioner of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), Senator Padilla has worked to advance U.S. scientific and technological leadership. He recently introduced the bipartisan National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025 to set in motion a whole-of-government approach to advancing biotechnology for U.S. national security, economic productivity, and competitiveness. The bill followed the Commission’s release of their major report and action plan, urging Congressional action to protect U.S. national security by bringing the full weight of American innovation to improve and maintain U.S. global leadership in biotechnology.

Senator Padilla also hosted students and advocates last year to reintroduce the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, bicameral legislation to help ensure college and university students can better meet their basic needs while pursuing higher education.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.

###