Science Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner Looks Ahead

House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) gave a speech last week to a university association during which he offered his plain-spoken views on the following:

INCREASING FEDERAL R&D SPENDING - IN GENERAL: Sensenbrenner declared that a long-term science policy must be in place before large increases in federal R&D spending can occur. Noting the tightness of spending caps, he said that any large increases “will be difficult, and can only come at the expense of other popular programs.” He was critical of the administration’s R&D request because it violates the spending caps, is financed with new taxes and fees, and relies on a tobacco settlement that he said is in trouble.

INCREASING FEDERAL R&D SPENDING - S. 1305: Sensenbrenner repeated his problems with this legislation authorizing a doubling of federal R&D spending over ten years. He called it “very well-intended, but premature,” saying that without a credible science policy, large authorization increases would have “no credibility with the appropriations committee.” “I don’t intend to let that happen again,” he said. Spending should only increase within the discretionary spending caps, Sensenbrenner declared. There is, he added, “much too much conversation on what the bottom line should be, than on how it should be spent.” Commenting on the bill, and rapid increases sought for R&D spending, Sensenbrenner explained “Sensenbrenner’s Law: He who put his head/mouth in trough too far gets neck chopped off.” In response to a later question, he did say that with an established science policy, he would “absolutely” consider larger increases in R&D spending. Asked for his recommendation on a House companion bill to S. 1305, he said “cool it.”

LARGE HADRON COLLIDER: Chairman Sensenbrenner was critical of the efforts made early last year in response to his criticism of the proposed US/CERN agreement. He said his fax machine “literally blew a fuse,” and that those efforts were an example of “how not to lobby effectively.” With the agreement changes he insisted on, Sensenbrenner added, he “defanged the issue” and took the “political momentum” out of the question of whether the U.S. should participate in the LHC.

THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTHORIZATION BILLS: Sensenbrenner stated that with House passage last year of major R&D authorization bills, Members were put on the record about spending levels. This made it much harder to make cuts in appropriations bills. Outyear (future) budget numbers that are usually “catastrophic” were improved because of conversations he had with Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and House Appropriations Chairman Bob Livingston (R-LA). Regarding his role as chairman, Sensenbrenner stated “there’s no bill that comes up here that I don’t want to come up.”

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION OUTLOOK: “NSF numbers are sustainable.”

RECOMMENDATIONS TO SCIENTISTS FOR BUILDING SUPPORT FOR SCIENCE: Congress reflects public opinion on spending priorities. Scientists should “sign up for two speeches at Rotary Clubs.”