Budget Controversies Frame House Consideration of NSF Bill

Last week’s House consideration of the National Science Foundation reauthorization bill revolved around one major issue -- money. Despite last year’s discussions about NSF’s future role, economic competitiveness, and other concerns, floor debate centered on “inside the beltway” matters. Chief among them was how differing approaches to federal budget-making should be reconciled. When it was over, NSF came away with a smaller authorization.

H.R. 3254, the National Science Foundation Authorization Act, provides the legal framework for the programs of the foundation. Besides setting policy, the bill determines ceilings for how much money NSF can spend in fiscal years 1995 and 1996 (see FYI #64.) The money itself is provided by the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations bill, a process running on a separate track.

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New York), (of SSC fame) persuaded his colleagues to reduce the ceiling on NSF spending by $208 million over two years. Boehlert did not do this because of problems with the foundation; in fact, he supports NSF. His concerns were with the way Congress sets differing spending levels. Boehlert called the NSF authorization levels “utterly unrealistic...a denial of reality.” He continued, “The authorization ought to reflect the same budget realities under which the rest of Congress has to labor. And it does not.”

Every year the House and Senate try to pass a budget resolution guiding later consideration of appropriations bills. The resolution is not a law, but rather an over-all spending plan. The House-passed resolution set NSF spending at $50 million less than did the president’s FY 1995 request. Boehlert said the House should use this same resolution figure for the NSF authorization level for FY 1995. Boehlert also wanted the FY 1996 authorization level to reflect the administration’s projection, which is $158 million less than that in H.R. 3254.

House science committee chairman George Brown (D-California) and subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) countered that the percentage increase in the NSF budget request was significantly less than previous years, with the president’s FY 1995 request being the same figure used in H.R. 3254. Brown argued that the Budget Committee numbers fluctuate, as do the administration’s projections. The levels in the bill, Brown said, were “our best recommendation to the House, and I think it deserves credibility.” Their efforts were not successful; Boehlert’s amendment passed by a vote of 227-197.

Later the House approved a “buy American” amendment and another amendment expressing the sense of Congress that NSF deny grants or contracts to educational institutions which prevent military recruiting.

The amended bill was passed 396-22, and now goes to the Senate for further consideration. Enactment of this bill is not expected before the all-important VA/HUD appropriations bill for fiscal year 1995 goes to the House floor.