Brown Blasts Republican Cuts in Science and Technology Spending

The Ranking Minority Member of the House Science Committee, George Brown (D-CA), has harshly criticized the House Budget Committee’s budget resolution. Calling it “a retreat from the federal government’s historical role as a driver in research and development,” Brown said, “the Kasich-Walker budget is the equivalent of unilateral disarmament in the war to maintain the American standard of living.”

Brown calculates that “federal support for civilian research and development” under the committee’s jurisdiction will decline about 24% from the $27.2 billion appropriated this year to $20.6 billion in FY 2000. Adjusting the Republican figure for inflation of 3% per year from 1995 to 2000 results in a decline of 35%.

The effects of the budget resolution on the committee’s four subcommittee allocations would vary greatly (see FYI #8, 9 for jurisdictions), and are the first indication of Republican research priorities. Brown’s figures show that the Basic Research Subcommittee allocation would increase $6 million from $3,325 million (actual FY 1995) to $3,331 million (FY 2000.) The allocation for the Space Subcommittee would decline $2,892 million, or 20%, from $14,470 million to $11,578 million. The Energy and Environment Subcommittee allocation would decline $2,706 million, or 34%, from $8,018 million to $5,312 million. The Technology Subcommittee allocation would decline $1,039 million, or 73%, from $1,421 million to $382 million. None of these figures allow for inflation.

The House and Senate budget resolutions provide the spending and taxing targets for congressional committees. The House and Senate are expected to vote on their budget resolutions next week, and congressional leaders express confidence that they will pass. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) predicts that these versions will be brought into alignment by Memorial Day. The House will consider all thirteen appropriations bills between June 5 and July 15.

Somewhat surprisingly, House Science Committee Chairman Robert Walker (R-PA) now says that he will leave it to the appropriations committees to reconfigure DOE operations if the department is abolished. “We have not decided on a structure...we’re going to let the appropriating committees rationalize all of this,” he said. Walker’s concept of a Department of Science is apparently on the back burner. House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-OH) rejected this idea, Walker saying “we wanted to be in the business of eliminating departments, not creating them.”

There are clear signs of a changed climate on the science committee. Brown, according to a statement released today by Walker’s staff, has put Walker “on notice” that next week’s mark-up of a space station authorization bill might not have the support of key committee Democrats. The bill has been pulled, with the committee statement noting, “Indications are that some Democrats are uncomfortable with the balanced budget plan put forth by the Republicans, and are unwilling to cooperate with programs predicated on that budget.”