One Month to Go: Status of FY 2001 Appropriations Bills
The new fiscal year starts one month from today, and most of the appropriations bills of interest to the physics community are far from complete. With the exception of the FY 2001 appropriations bill for the Department of Defense which has been signed into law, there is considerable work ahead.
Both the House and Senate return from their recess next week, and for the vast majority of Members, the overriding concern is the general election, just 68 days away. With all of the House, one- third of all senators, and the offices of the president and vice president on the ballot, and tight races for the control of both chambers and the White House, Members want to complete the must- past appropriations bills and return home. Standing in the way are tight spending caps and a White House strategy that will use this remaining time to press for its objectives.
Here is where things stand:
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: The President signed the FY 2001 DOD appropriations bill into law. It provides a total increase of 7.9% for 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 spending for next year, to $9,063 million. The Clinton Administration requested $7,543 million. See FYI #91 for the details.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: The House has passed its version of this bill, while the Senate bill has not yet gone to the floor. The House bill provides the administration’s request for High Energy Physics, while the Senate bill makes significant reductions from both the current level and the request. Nuclear Physics would be funded at the requested level by the House bill, while the Senate bill would essentially flat fund this program, providing less than the request. Both bills make significant reductions in the administration’s request for Basic Energy Sciences, with a major difference in the bills being their treatment of the Spallation Neutron Source. Fusion Energy Sciences is also mixed: the House bill providing more than the request, the Senate bill less than the current level and the request. The Senate bill has not even gone to the floor for passage, and in its current committee form, the White House has threatened a veto. After floor action, a conference will be held to resolve differences. The key to getting this bill onto the president’s desk is more money for the entire Energy and Water Development appropriations bill. See FYI #86 for the details.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: The House VA/HUD appropriations subcommittee completed its bill in May. The Senate subcommittee has not drafted a bill yet because it does not have the money to do so. The administration requested a 17.3% increase for FY 2001 for NSF; the House bill provides 4.3%. The House bill has a 5.7% increase for Research and Related Activities, almost no increase for Education and Human Resources over the current year, and about 55% of the amount requested for Major Research Equipment. Senate appropriators Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) are pushing for a doubling of the NSF budget over the next five years. As of a few days ago, 20 of their colleagues had signed a “Dear Colleague” letter in support of their efforts. Also supporting a doubling of the NSF budget is Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). The bottom line: more money is needed for the entire Senate bill before it will move out of the committee and onto the floor. See FYI #66 for information on the House bill.
NASA: NASA is funded in the same bill as the National Science Foundation. The House bill would provide an increase of 3.2%; the administration had requested an increase of less than 1%. The House bill has an increase of 8.5% for Space Science, compared to the 9.4% requested increase. The Space Station was funded at the requested level by the House, which is down $215 from the current year. See FYI #67 for information on the NASA portion of the House bill.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY: The House passed the NIST appropriations in June as part of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill. The Senate committee bill is ready to go to the floor, although funding levels have not been published. The House bill would zero out the Advanced Technology Program. The NIST labs would receive a 3.2% increase, significantly less than what was requested. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program would be flat funded. The budget for construction of new facilities was also reduced from the request in the House bill. See FYI #71 for further information. This bill has both money and political problems: appropriators do not have enough money, and there is disagreement over the value of the Advanced Technology Program.
K-12 MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: Both the House and Senate have passed their versions of the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill. Within these bills is funding for the Eisenhower Program. Funding levels for the Eisenhower Program are unclear in both bills; it appears the teacher professional development programs in math and science would receive at least their current funding level. See FYI #61.
