The
appropriations and budget season in
Washington, DC, begins each year with
the release of the President's budget
request. This year, on February 4th,
President Bush submitted his final
budget request. The proposal would spend
$3 trillion overall and largely freeze
spending for domestic programs.
Total federal R&D spending in the
proposed budget is $147 billion. The
Administration asserts that this
recommendation, if met, would achieve
record R&D spending in real terms and an
increase of $3.9 billion over last year.
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
would receive $6.85 billion in the
budget request, a 13 percent increase
over its actual FY 2008 budget. The
additional $822.10 million would
increase funding for agency programs
"that advance the frontiers of research
and education in science and
engineering." While the Department of
Education would see level funding ($59.3
billion), a number of program
eliminations and proposed reductions
support increases in other programs. The
biggest increase is reserved for the
Pell Grant program, which would see more
than $2 billion over FY 2008 spending.
Related to the release of the NSF
budget, the agency's Director, Arden
Bement, said that the proposed increase
reflects a growing consensus that the
United States needs to invest more
resources in basic scientific research
if it is to remain a global leader in
science and technology. "More than a
dozen major studies have now concluded
that a substantial increase in federal
funding for basic scientific research is
critical to ensure the preeminence of
America's scientific and technological
enterprise," he said. "Increased federal
investments in research and education
are imperative now to sustain our
comparative advantages in a flattening
world. The NSF budget for 2009 reflects
that commitment."
The NSF budget proposal says the
following about certain efforts:
Support for Research Grants
Strong, sustained support for
individual investigator and small group
activities remains a priority for
investments across the foundation. With
the 16 percent growth in research and
related activities, NSF anticipates
supporting an additional 1,370 research
grants. This will help to increase the
funding rate to 23 percent from 21
percent, especially for unsolicited
grants that potentially advance the
frontiers of learning and discovery.
New Faculty and Young
Investigators
The America COMPETES Act underscores
the need to strengthen the nation's
science and engineering workforce,
placing special emphasis on improving
opportunities for scientists and
engineers at the beginning of their
careers. In keeping with this, the
Faculty Early Career Development
(CAREER) Program--NSF's flagship program
for young faculty--increases by over $14
million to $181.9 million. Other
activities that traditionally involve
young faculty--the Research Experiences
for Undergraduates Program (REU) and
Research in Undergraduate Institutions
Program (RUI)--also increase.
Graduate Research Fellowships
(GRF)
GRF is widely recognized as a unique
fellowship grant program because it
supports the broad array of science and
engineering disciplines across all
fields, as well as international
research activities. Funding for GRF in
FY 2009 increases by $28.6 million
(nearly 30 percent) to $124.8 million.
This will support an estimated 3,075
fellows, an increase of 700 over the FY
2008 level. The GRF program recognizes
the growing significance of the changing
global environment for future scientists
and engineers, and is bringing more
international emphasis and increased
opportunities for students to expand
their knowledge of research and
education in other nations, and in
international issues affecting science,
technology, engineering and mathematics
careers.
Last year, the House Science and
Technology Committee took the lead on
pushing the America COMPETES Act to
enactment. In the wake of the release of
President Bush's final budget request,
the panel held a hearing, on February
14th, to discuss how the FY 2009 budget
request might affect the programs
authorized under this law.
The sole witness at the hearing was
Dr. John H. Marburger, III, Director of
the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP), and Co-chair of the
President's Committee of Advisors on
Science and Technology. While supporting
the President's FY 2009 budget request,
Marburger explained that basic research
programs authorized under the America
COMPETES Act remain under-funded
"relative to their importance for the
long term strength of our Nation's
economy."
Marburger also reinforced President
Bush's commitment to the American
Competitiveness Initiative, an
Administration proposal unveiled in
2006. Part of that initiative is a
doubling of the investments in key
civilian federal science agencies, such
as NSF, the Department of Energy's
Office of Science, and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology,
which support basic research in the
physical sciences and engineering. The
budget proposal calls for a total of
$12.2 billion in spending on these
efforts, an overall increase of $1.6
billion. He sought support from
Committee members in ensuring that these
research and development programs
receive adequate funds. Further, despite
rumors of an appropriations process that
could end in a continuing resolution
until after the inauguration of a new
president, he emphasized a desire for a
timely appropriation this fiscal year,
to prevent the loss of another year of
potentially high-impact innovation and
research.
While federal spending has been the
focus of Congress in recent weeks, the
House also managed to pass a bill (HR
4137) to reauthorize the Higher
Education Act on February 7th. The House
and Senate must now meet to negotiate a
compromise version of their two bills
before final enactment. The Senate
passed its bill, S. 1642, last summer.
Both bills are hundreds of pages in
length and make thousands of changes to
current law, but it is hoped that the
House and Senate can pass a compromise
bill next month.
As is often the case with such a
large legislative effort, a number of
education groups, and Members of
Congress, took issue with certain
provisions of the bill, although few
found them odious enough to provoke
opposition to the larger measure. Debate
of the bill pointed to controversial
issues in higher education policy,
including rules governing the practice
of student lending, efforts to control
increasing tuition rates, programs to
help m embers of the Armed Services and
their families in the pursuit of
postsecondary education, steps to ease
the financial aid application process,
and initiatives addressing textbook
expenses, among other issues.
Broadly, the bill's supporters
portray it as an effort to control
college costs and make it easier for
more people to attend college. In a
press release related to the bill's
passage, House Education and Labor
Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA)
said, "Last year, by enacting a $20
billion increase in federal student
aid-the largest increase since the G.I.
Bill of 1944-this Congress took an
historic step to help American families
pay for college. Now we are redoubling
our commitment to college students and
parents by reining in skyrocketing
tuition prices and making our whole
system of higher education far more
consumer-friendly."
"Given the many urgent scientific and
technological challenges facing America
and the rest of th e world, the
increasing need for accurate scientific
information in political decision
making, and the vital role scientific
innovation plays in spurring economic
growth and competitiveness, we call for
a public debate in which the U.S.
presidential candidates share their
views on the issues of The Environment,
Health and Medicine, and Science and
Technology Policy."
More information on this effort is
available at
http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/.
