Election 2024:
Science & Technology
Issues at Stake

“There are so many urgent challenges facing the country – but challenges also mean great opportunities for innovative new policies. Like my colleagues, I’m focused on how the next administration will move the ball forward on innovating and regulating in the A.I. space, modernizing and bolstering how the federal government works, and also how it will tackle the climate crisis and move us toward a renewable energy economy. But let me take a moment here to resurface a topic that FAS took on months back, and has again become a hotter topic among economists and even in this presidential race: housing. The affordable housing crisis cuts across so many of today’s challenges – from economic inequality to climate change to public health. Our Housing Ideas Challenge asked participants to take on the problem from a federal policy angle; while much of the housing crisis comes down to state and local regs, a lot of these ideas would make a difference and deserve attention from national leaders.“

– Dan Correa, FAS CEO

Clean Energy

A 2023 Pew Research survey revealed that two-thirds of Americans favor developing more renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, over expanding the production of oil, coal and natural gas. The climate crisis is increasingly visible in more communities across the U.S. So too is the realization that clean energy is a driver of economic development and growth.

“The Biden-Harris administration enacted the strongest clean energy policies in global history, through the BIL and IRA. Implementation is underway but we cannot slow the transition to cleaner energy. This election is a crucial turning point: will Americans continue to push for more clean energy development, or will they retreat? If Americans choose retreat we risk losing global competitiveness in clean technologies like EVs as well as a more livable planet.“

– Kelly Fleming, FAS Associate Director of Clean Energy

FAS is a founding member of “Friends of FESI”, a consortium of partners to support the Department of Energy’s Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI). A selection of other FAS clean energy work:

Environment and Climate

“The climate is changing in ways that have profound impacts on health, prosperity, and our natural world. The devastation wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains are just the latest example of how suddenly climate change can intensify threats into catastrophes.

Fortunately, we have the tools to respond. The landmark Inflation Reduction Act is on track to mobilize a trillion dollars in funding to decarbonize our economy, tackling the root causes of climate change while creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and spurring a domestic manufacturing boom. Better science and modeling are improving disaster response by helping emergency managers understand where and when climate-fueled extreme weather is likely to hit. Innovative designs are creating safer, greener, and more equitable communities. And investments in infrastructure and nature are making Americans more resilient.”

– Hannah Safford, FAS Associate Director of Climate and Environment

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will play a role in this (and future) elections, and yet: how this technology evolves will also depend on those voted into power in November. Already, AI is a player in this election, calling into question the veracity of crowd sizes or celebrity endorsement. Less discussed are the fundamental ways AI policy will be written that will shape our world.

“While AI drives innovation and productivity, it also introduces short and long-term risks that must be taken seriously. Bias in AI can disproportionately harm marginalized communities, affecting access to essential services like housing, healthcare, and social support. Deep fakes and synthetic content can distort public discourse and erode trust in democratic institutions. As larger, more advanced models progress, they could also introduce new risks that could disrupt our society. The next Administration, be it Trump or Harris, must be assertive in coordinating across government agencies, Congress, and party lines to address the wide variety of AI risks so that we can safely and securely deploy these technologies.“

– Clara Langevin, FAS AI Policy Specialist

FAS’s AI Legislative Sprint produced memos to improve AI safety, trust and privacy, education, and innovation. A selection of additional work includes:

Nuclear Weapons

“The next president will take office as the world is entering what is widely agreed to be a new age of nuclear risk. As technology – including artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, and biosciences – advances, American leadership will be put to the test to ensure its security, safety and future prosperity. As commander in chief, the next president will have the sole authority to order the use of U.S. nuclear arsenal, as well have to set policies to guide the future of America’s nuclear relationships with its adversaries and allies. Managing these powerful weapons and reducing the risk of nuclear use will be critical missions for the next administration. The new era is no less challenging that the one into which FAS was born in 1946 and we must again rise to the challenge to help guide the development of sound policy.“

– Jon Wolfsthal, FAS Director of Global Risk

Government Capacity

Government depends on the quality of its staff, technologies, processes and other resources to do the will of the American people. FAS has become increasingly focused on how government can improve its capacity to meet today’s challenges, whether through clearing obstacles to innovation, scaling incentives for better performance, or revamping the federal hiring process to get the best talent in the door.

“To earn back trust and better invest the nation’s resources, our leaders have to start making real changes or the crises of today and tomorrow simply won’t get solved.Take the climate crisis. A lot of big-ticket legislation promises real progress on this front, but it can’t happen if the government continues to move at its current pace in terms of both innovation and hiring. By itself – permitting reform, seen by stakeholders from across the political spectrum as key to meeting climate goals by building out infrastructure for clean energy, for example – called for thousands of new FTEs at the federal level in FY24. We’ve outlined the steep hiring challenges at the federal level and we’ll continue to spread solutions that the next administration should consider. Beyond hiring, there are innovations for process improvement and joint solutions across government that deserve to be studied and replicated across agencies – if we want to make real progress, these success stories can’t just be one-off anecdotes.“

– FAS Senior Fellow Peter Bonner