More Reports Indicate President to Recommend S&T Budget Cuts

The latest word in the national press regarding the FY 2002 budget President Bush will present to Congress next week suggests President Bush may propose significant cuts in investment in research and tech-based economic development. Many of the programs potentially under fire are instrumental to state and local efforts to promote stronger economic growth through science and technology.



A Feb. 15 story in the Wall Street Journal, "White House Is Planning Broad Cuts in U.S. Firm's Government Subsidies" reports the Office of Management and Budget has called business loan and grant programs for technology and economic development "corporate subsidies" that are "unjustified" and "low priority." The article singles out the International Trade Administration, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and parts of the Agriculture Department.



After last year's historic 17 percent increase for the National Science Foundation, an article by David Rogers in last Friday's Wall Street Journal, "Bush, Seeking Room for Tax Cuts, Chops Budgets for Science Agencies," reports NSF could see less than 1 percent growth in the President's FY 2002 request.



In "Seed Corn, Anyone?" a Feb. 20 Boston Globe column, David Warsh reports the cuts to be more severe for some science programs --- the U.S. Geological Survey would see a 22 percent cut in the President's budget request. The only bright spot for the research community would be a possible $3.4 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, Warsh says.



Buried in a February 13 story in USA Today was the suggestion that the Advanced Technology Program will be zeroed out in the President's request. This year's twist to the program's perennial budget fight finds opponents and proponents reversed. For the past few years, the Clinton Administration's support for the program created under President George H.W. Bush was tempered by strong opposition from House Republicans. ATP supporters were breathing a little easier at the beginning of this session with the ascension of Congressman Sherwood Boehlert to the House Science chairmanship. Rep. Boehlert has been supportive of the program in the past and an aide recently reiterated the Congressman's qualified support in the January 11 issue of Federal Technology Report. In that issue, the aide said "[Rep. Boehlert has] always been supportive of ATP, but now with a new administration and a new Congress, it may be a good time to look into it and see how it might be strengthened, and made more useful and less of a lightning rod."



According to Warsh, moderate GOP legislators "were quick to make their disapproval known" after a briefing by Mitch Daniels, White House budget director last Wednesday. Rogers reports Rep. Boehlert "is agitated by the budget outlook and raised his concerns" at the meeting.



Our thanks to the George Lipper, editor of NASVF NetNews, for background assistance on this article



Return to the top of this page