Did you know? The U.S. Congress has a committee on science, and anyone can watch their public hearings for free! 

The  U.S. House of Representatives has a committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The committee discusses issues relating to science research  and brings their findings back to the rest of the House. It is currently chaired by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), the first woman and African-American to chair the committee. You can read a great interview with Rep. Johnson on her vision for Congress' role in setting science policy here. 

The committee's job is to connect the representatives of the American people to science research agencies, boosting the benefit of science research to the country. You can watch video of the hearings on the committee’s website. Or, if you are in the Washington DC area, you can also attend the hearings in person. 

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about how the federal  government supports science research, these hearings are a great place  to start. Past and upcoming hearings are all listed on the website and cover lots of topics including research budgets, new technology programs, and even diversity in STEM.