Representatives Supporting $7.0 Billion NSF Budget in FY 2010

Seventy-three representatives have signed a letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Alan Mollohan (D-WV) and Ranking Member Frank Wolf (R-VA) in support of a $7.0 billion budget for the National Science Foundation in FY 2010. Also, the NSF recently posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding grants and the economic stimulus act.

The FY 2010 budget overview released by the Obama Administration in February had a brief section on the National Science Foundation. Under “Funding Highlights” the document states: “Provides $7 billion for the National Science Foundation, a 16-percent increase over the 2008 level, as part of the President’s Plan for Science and Innovation.”It is expected that the full budget request will be sent to Congress in late April or early May.

Mollohan and Wolf have a demonstrated track record of strong support for the foundation. Letters such as this provide tangible evidence of bipartisan support for NSF that will inform the subcommittee as it crafts its FY 2010 appropriations bill in coming months. The letter was initiated by Representatives Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL), and Bob Inglis (R-SC).

The full text of the letter can be viewed here . Among its key passages are the following:

“We ask that you uphold the Administration’s FY10 funding level request of $7.0 billion for the National Science Foundation.”

“Despite mounting evidence that we are continuing to lose our position as worldwide leaders in science and technology and overwhelming support for the COMPETES Act, funding for the NSF fell short of the doubling path in the FY07, FY08 and FY09 regular appropriations cycles. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1) included a lump sum of $3.0 billion for the NSF which will help, but the NSF needs sustained annual funding to maintain our competitive edge in science and technology.

“A renewed commitment to core basic research and educational programs at the NSF is an essential part of meeting the multidisciplinary challenges we face in areas such as energy, health care, and nanotechnology. In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, we must make sustained investments in the physical sciences and engineering through the National Science Foundation.”

The 73 representatives signing this letter are listed in alphabetical order:

Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
Jason Altmire (D-PA)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Shelly Berkley (D-NV)
Judy Biggert (R-IL)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Madeleine Bordallo (D-GA)
Rick Boucher (D-VA)
Lois Capps (D-CA)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
Christopher Carney (D-PA)
Andre Carson (D-IN)
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Danny Davis (D-IL)
Susan Davis (D-CA)
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
John Dingell (D-MI)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Donna Edwards (D-MD)
Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Bob Etheridge (D-NC)
Bob Filner (D-CA)
Bill Foster (D-IL)
Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Paul Hodes (D-NH)
Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Bob Inglis (R-SC)
Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)
Ron Kind (D-WI)
Larry Kissell (D-NC)
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Sander Levin (D-MI)
Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Brad Miller (D-NC)
Harry Mitchell (D-AZ)
Dennis Moore (D-KS)
James Moran (D-VA)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ)
Ron Paul (R-TX)
Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR)
Jared Polis (D-CO)
Peter Roskam (R-IL)
Mike Ross (D-AR)
Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)
Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Jackie Speier (D-CA)
Betty Sutton (D-OH)
Chris Van Hollen Jr. (D-MD)
Melvin Watt (D-NC)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Robert Wexler (D-FL)
John Yarmuth (D-KY)

Members of Congress appreciate the interest of their constituents. Click here for easy-to-use email forms.

Also, the National Science Foundation recently published a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding grants and the economic stimulus act.