FYI Number 68: May 11, 2005

House Members Press for Higher DOE Science Funding

"We encourage you to significantly increase fiscal year 2006 funding for the DOE Office of Science above the level appropriated in fiscal year 2005" wrote 121 Members of the House of Representatives in a letter just sent to two key appropriators. The letter is very timely, as the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to act on its version of the FY 2006 funding bill tomorrow, May 12.

There are more than six pages of signatures on this letter to David Hobson (R-OH) and Peter Visclosky (D-IN), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the subcommittee. The letter was authored by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA). As was true for similar House and Senate letters in the support of higher funding levels for the DOE Office of Science and the National Science Foundation, this newest letter is signed by Democrats and Republicans across the political spectrum.

Chairman Hobson and Ranking Member Visclosky are strong supporters of the DOE Office of Science, and last year set the stage for what turned out to be an overall increase of 2.9% in its FY 2005 budget. In its budget request this spring, the Bush Administration requested a cut in the Office of Science's funding. The letter to Hobson and Visclosky, which can be read in full at http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/054.html, makes the case for higher funding as follows:

" . . . we have a long way to go to make up for years of inadequate budgets. Unfortunately, the proposed budget for fiscal year 2006 would reduce funding for the DOE Office of Science, curtailing its core research programs, substantially scaling back operating times for its many user facilities, and delaying or canceling the construction of next generation facilities. Instead, an increase is needed and warranted, even during this time of tight budgets. Economic experts maintain that during the last half-century, science-driven technology has accounted for more than 50 percent of the growth of the U.S. economy. To maintain our national competitiveness and ensure America's economic, energy, homeland, and national security for the next fifty years, we must provide strong support today for basic research across the disciplines. That is why we urge you to provide increased funding for the DOE Office of Science, enabling it to attract the best minds, educate the next generation of scientists and engineers, support the construction and operation of modern facilities, and continue to provide the quality of scientific research that has been its trademark for so many years."

Having the expressed views of 121 Members of the House of Representatives favoring an increase in the DOE Office of Science's budget will be an important factor in tomorrow's subcommittee's markup. Constituents of the below representatives should take a moment to express their appreciation (http://www.house.gov ).

Snyder, Vic (D-AR, 2nd)

Grijalva, Raul (D-AZ, 7th)

Berman, Howard (D-CA, 28th)
Calvert, Ken (R-CA, 44th)
Capps, Lois (D-CA, 23rd)
Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA, 18th)
Costa, Jim (D-CA, 20th)
Davis, Susan (D-CA, 53rd)
Eshoo, Anna (D-CA, 14th)
Filner, Bob (D-CA, 51st)
Honda, Michael (D-CA, 15th)
Lantos, Tom (D-CA, 12th)
Lee, Barbara (D-CA, 9th)
Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA, 16th)
Miller, George (D-CA, 7th)
Napolitano, Grace (D-CA, 38th)
Schiff, Adam (D-CA, 29th)
Solis, Hilda (D-CA, 32nd)
Tauscher, Ellen (D-CA, 10th)
Thompson, Mike (D-CA, 1st)

Udall, Mark (D-CO, 2nd)

DeLauro, Rosa (D-CT, 3rd)
Larson, John (D-CT, 1st)

Barrow, John (D-GA, 12th)
Marshall, Jim (D-GA, 3rd)

Abercrombie, Neil (D-HI, 1st)
Case, Ed (D-HI, 2nd)

Boswell, Leonard (D-IA, 3rd)
Leach, James (R-IA, 2nd)

Biggert, Judy (R-IL, 13th)
Costello, Jerry (D-IL, 12th)
Davis, Danny (D-IL, 7th)
Gutierrez, Luis (D-IL, 4th)
Hyde, Henry (R-IL, 6th)
Johnson, Timothy (R-IL, 15th)
Lipinski, Dan (D-IL, 3rd)
Rush, Bobby (D-IL, 1st)
Schakowsky, Janice (D-IL, 9th)
Shimkus, John (R-IL, 19th)

Moore, Dennis (D-KS, 3rd)

Chandler, Ben (D-KY, 6th)

Jefferson, William (D-LA, 2nd)

Capuano, Michael (D-MA, 8th)
Frank, Barney (D-MA, 4th)
Lynch, Stephen (D-MA, 9th)
McGovern, James (D-MA, 3rd)
Meehan, Martin (D-MA, 5th)
Neal, Richard (D-MA, 2nd)
Tierney, John (D-MA, 6th)

Cardin, Benjamin (D-MD, 3rd)
Cummings, Elijah (D-MD, 7th)
Gilchrest, Wayne (R-MD, 1st)
Ruppersberger, C.A. Dutch (D-MD, 2nd)
Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD, 8th)

Michaud, Michael (D-ME, 2nd)

Dingell, John (D-MI, 15th)
Ehlers, Vernon (R-MI, 3rd)
Kildee, Dale (D-MI, 5th)
Levin, Sander (D-MI, 12th)
Rogers, Mike (R-MI, 8th)

McCollum, Betty (D-MN, 4th)

Carnahan, Russ (D-MO, 3rd)
Cleaver II, Emanuel (D-MO, 5th)

Butterfield, G.K. (D-NC, 1st)
Etheridge, Bob (D-NC, 2nd)
Miller, Brad (D-NC, 13th)
Price, David (D-NC, 4th)

Pomeroy, Earl (D-ND, At Large)

Ferguson, Mike (R-NJ, 7th)
Holt, Rush (D-NJ, 12th)
Pallone, Frank (D-NJ, 6th)
Pascrell, Bill (D-NJ, 8th)
Payne, Donald (D-NJ, 10th)
Smith, Christopher (R-NJ, 4th)

Udall, Tom (D-NM, 3rd)
Wilson, Heather (R-NM, 1st)

Ackerman, Gary (D-NY, 5th)
Bishop, Tim (D-NY, 1st)
Boehlert, Sherwood (R-NY, 24th)
Engel, Eliot (D-NY, 17th)
Israel, Steve (D-NY, 2nd)
Maloney, Carolyn (D-NY, 14th)
McCarthy, Carolyn (D-NY, 4th)
McNulty, Michael (D-NY, 21st)
Nadler, Jerrold (D-NY, 8th)
Rangel, Charles (D-NY, 15th)
Slaughter, Louise McIntosh (D-NY, 28th)
Weiner, Anthony (D-NY, 9th)

Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH, 11th)

DeFazio, Peter (D-OR, 4th)
Hooley, Darlene (D-OR, 5th)
Wu, David (D-OR, 1st)

Doyle, Michael (D-PA, 14th)
Schwartz, Allyson (D-PA, 13th)

Cooper, Jim (D-TN, 5th)
Davis, Lincoln (D-TN, 4th)
Duncan, John (R-TN, 2nd)
Ford, Harold E. Jr. (D-TN, 9th)
Gordon, Bart (D-TN, 6th)
Wamp, Zach (R-TN, 3rd)

Gonzalez, Charles (D-TX, 20th)
Green, Al (D-TX, 9th)
Green, Gene (D-TX, 29th)
Hinojosa, Rubén (D-TX, 15th)
Jackson-Lee, Sheila (D-TX, 18th)
Paul, Ron (R-TX, 14th)
Sessions, Pete (R-TX, 32nd)

Boucher, Rick (D-VA, 9th)
Davis, Tom (R-VA, 11th)
Scott, Robert (D-VA, 3rd)

Christensen, Donna M. (D-VI)

Dicks, Norman (D-WA, 6th)
Hastings, Doc (R-WA, 4th)
Inslee, Jay (D-WA, 1st)
Larsen, Rick (D-WA, 2nd)
McDermott, Jim (D-WA, 7th)
McMorris, Cathy (R-WA, 5th)
Reichert, David (R-WA 8th)
Smith, Adam (D-WA, 9th)

Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI, 2nd)
Kind, Ron (D-WI, 3rd)

Note that Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) sent his own letter to appropriators in support of the DOE Office of Science and the National Science Foundation.

Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
301-209-3095

Back to FYI Home