Comparison of Results: FY98 - FY99 Appropriations

After the appropriations process is concluded for the year, it can be instructive to review how various programs fared. The table below looks at the programs regularly tracked by FYI, and calculates how each program’s fiscal year 1999 appropriation compares, percentage-wise, with its fiscal 1998 appropriation. The programs are ranked by their comparative success in receiving a funding increase over last year.

For example, comparing this year’s appropriation to last year’s, DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences (BES) received the biggest increase by percent. This is largely due to the additional funding BES received to begin construction of the Spallation Neutron Source. Next in the order come NSF’s Research and Related Activities (R&RA), and the total NSF budget. President Clinton targeted both for increases of at least 10.0 percent; Congress responded with an 8.8 percent increase for R&RA, and a 7.1 percent increase for all of NSF. Also noteworthy is the 6.8 percent growth for Basic Research within the Defense Department. Last year appropriators refused to heed the Administration’s calls to halt the erosion of this account; this year, Congress went along with a significant increase.

At the bottom of the list, NIST Construction funding dropped to the requested amount of $56.7 million this year after Congress provided a bump in funding of $95.0 million last year, in anticipation of a facilities plan. Above NIST Construction, in 17th position, NSF’s Major Research Equipment appropriation dropped 17.4 percent, primarily because FY 1998 was the last year for construction funding of LIGO.

Rank Order ** Agency/Program ** Percent Change FY98-FY99

1. DOE Basic Energy Sciences +21.1%

2. NSF Research & Related Activities +8.8

3. NSF Total +7.1

4. DOD Basic Research (6.1) +6.8

5. DOD Applied Research (6.2) +6.4

6. NIST Advanced Technology Program +5.7

7. NSF Education & Human Resources +4.7

8. DOE Nuclear Physics +4.4

9. DOE High Energy Physics +2.4

10. NIST Scientific and Technical Research & Services +1.2

11. NASA Total +0.2

12. NASA Human Space Flight -0.5

13. NASA Science, Aeronautics & Technology -0.6

14. DOE Fusion Energy Sciences -1.0

15. NIST Total -4.5

16. NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership -5.9

17. NSF Major Research Equipment -17.4

18. NIST Construction -40.3

Note: It is necessary to point out a number of qualifications when comparing across programs like this. First, it is important to keep in mind that funding levels may naturally rise or fall as projects are initiated or completed, and sometimes the program content within an account changes from year to year. In most cases, the comparisons here are calculated from appropriations numbers before accounting for general reductions to a department or agency. Finally, these are selected programs -- not all programs within a given department, agency, or account are necessarily shown.

Total funding for all the programs shown here is up by 2.7 percent above what the programs received, cumulatively, in FY 1998. With inflation running at barely 2.0 percent, this represents a slight increase over inflation.