Status of NSF Appropriations

By Fred W. Weingarten

This summer, during preliminary markup, the full House Appropriations Committee increased NSF research funding by $70 million over the subcommittee mark. This, a 10.5 percent increase, is very close to the 12 percent originally requested by the President. Since the Senate Committee on Appropriations had already approved an increment of 7 percent for research, NSF stands to come out of conference this fall with a healthy boost (Congress reconvenes September 9 following the summer recess). This is especially good news for the agency, and for computing research, coming as it does on top of last year's 6 percent increase.

Now that the bill has cleared both the House and the Senate the numbers are as follows: the House Committee has approved for NSF research and related activities a total mark of $2.815 billion, and the Senate has approved $2.725 billion.

The overall budget for NSF has been marked at $3.697 billion in the House and $3.644 billion in the Senate.

To Come...

If the opportunity presents itself while the members are back home, it would be most helpful for researchers to urge them to vote for the NSF increase and in the case of those on the Appropriations Committee, to thank them profusely. If you can't do it in person letters will do. (Thank You letters can be as important and often more important than letters asking for something.) Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey) and Mark Neumann (R-Wisconsin) offered the amendment in full committee. (Our friends in New Jersey and Wisconsin should take note.)

CRA (Peter Freeman) testified on NSF appropriations in the House and sponsored a computer science entry at a Congressional exhibition of NSF research that took place in May of this year (see " CNSF Exhibition and Reception," page 4). CRA has also joined in coalition letters calling for strong NSF support. Of course, we will continue to monitor this closely.

The next step, assuming the Senate and House bills pass on schedule, will be a conference to negotiate between the two different versions. At that time, of course, the scientific associations will be urging adoption of the House mark, although some splitting of the difference is the most likely outcome.

But, for all the good news so far, don't start planning on spending the money yet. The fall appropriations end-game could be very messy. A Budget Resolution is still to be agreed on between the two chambers. Of course, although a budget is required by its own law, Congress has been known to go through a year without one, so it may never happen. The House and Senate versions differ significantly, with the House's being more draconian on discretionary spending. Neither version is terribly friendly to research.

Furthermore, there isn't as much money as people might have expected. The tobacco bill has failed, cutting one revenue source, the Transportation Act was a real budget buster, some expensive tax cut proposals are being made (it being election year), and, in the eyes of some in the House, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is not generating high enough income estimates. Some in the House leadership have reportedly even threatened to fire the current CBO director and hire one who will come up with better numbers. As one House committee staff member observed, "so much for impartial analysis."

Some Hill staff say that these fiscal uncertainties, coupled with other factors of uncertainty including a spending cap set in last year's budget agreement, could mean that all appropriations bills are rolled into one omnibus package at the last minute. If that happens, all bets are off on what could result. NSF funds then become negotiable among a wide variety of other claims on the floor and in conference.

In other words, what Congress can give, it can take away - thus proving one of Rick's rules of Washington life: "No Decision is Ever Final." I can't overstate the critical importance of individual ongoing constituent contacts between those who care about NSF funding and their Representatives. Believe me, those who most likely view NSF appropriations as a convenient last-minute cookie jar will be walking the halls of the congressional office buildings daily for the next several months.