Democratic, Republican Senators Send Letter to President on R&D Funding
On February 2, President Clinton sends his FY 1999 budget request to Congress. At the Office of Management and Budget, officials are confronting some tough numbers. Under the balanced budget agreement, total discretionary spending can increase by only 1%, or about $5 billion, over this year. As expected, there are many recommendations on what the nation’s priorities should be in FY 1999.
On December 4, two Republican and two Democratic senators wrote to President Clinton urging him to use the FY 1999 budget “to establish a bipartisan national consensus on doubling non-defense federal R&D over the next ten years.” The letter from Senators Phil Gramm (R-Texas), Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut), Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) (one of the toughest budget hawks in Congress), and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), all cosponsors of S. 1305 (see FYI #133 ), follows:
“Dear Mr. President:
“In a 1995 letter to Senate leaders you wrote, American history clearly demonstrates the importance of American leadership in science and technology to the future of our nation. Investments in science and technology drive economic growth, generate new knowledge, create new jobs, build new industries, ensure sustained economic and national security, and improve our quality of life. Indeed, over the past 50 years, innovation has accounted for as much as half of the nation’s economic growth. Today, millions of Americans hold high-skilled, high-wage jobs in industries that have grown as a result of far-sighted public and private investment in R&D.’
“We believe, as you do, that investment in research is a requirement for maintaining robust economic growth and a high standard of living into the next century. We have recently introduced S.1305, The National Research Investment Act of 1998, which seeks to double the federal investment in basic scientific, medical, and pre-competitive engineering research over a ten year period beginning in FY98.
“As you have pointed out, past federal investments in research and development have yielded enormous benefits to society, spawning entire new industries that now represent a substantial fraction of our gross domestic product. Several recent studies indicate that the social return on these investments is actually increasing as technological advance becomes an ever more significant driver of economic growth. It is imperative, in our opinion, that we reverse the recent trend toward decreased federal investment in basic and pre-competitive research if we are to sustain robust growth over the next several decades.
“S.1305 is an important declaration of principle, but it will require ten years of patient follow-through if its goals are to be realized. Your ability to articulate effectively the link between R&D investment and growth will be an essential element of these efforts. We believe that this winter is a critical time for establishing R&D investment as a national priority. Both political parties have largely cleared the decks with respect to the agendas they have been pursuing for the last two years and both are seeking new political initiatives to advance. Moreover, recent changes in the projected five-year revenue outlook give both parties more room to maneuver within the confines of the balanced budget agreement.
“Mr. President, your FY99 budget request represents the first and best opportunity to establish a bipartisan national consensus on doubling non-defense federal R&D over the next ten years. We urge that you take the lead on this important issue and include significant increases in R&D investment in your request, particularly for the twelve federal agencies specified in S.1305.
“We look forward to working with you to increase federal research investments and further economic growth.”
Sincerely,
Phil Gramm
Joseph I. Lieberman
Pete V. Domenici
Jeff Bingaman
