View from the Hill

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View from the Hill

• Ellen E. Burns, Ph.D
• Office of Congressman Vern Ehlers

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Components of Congressional Action

• Authorization
• Budget
• Appropriations

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Authorization

• Establishes or continues a agency, activity, or
  program
• Authorizes appropriations
• Technically, only authorized programs receive
  appropriations
• Does not guarantee appropriations
• Example H.R. 4664 NSF reauthorization
• Process Senate, House, Conference, President

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Budget

• Presidents Request
• Defines Administration Priorities (large small)
• Spending Limits, Deficit Program Increases
• Starting Point for Congressional Budget
  Appropriations
• Delivered to Congress February 1 for next FY
• Congressional Budget
• Sets Congressional Priorities (large)
• Spending Limits, Deficit
• Mandatory Spending
• (EntitlementsSS, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans,
  Housing, Farm Subsidies)
• Discretionary Spending (Yearly Appropriation
  Bills)
• Function Levels (e.g. basic science function
  250)
• Process House, Senate, Conference
• Due April 15 for next FY

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Appropriations Discretionary Spending

• Provides funds to agencies programs
• Trumps Authorizations, Presidents Request
  Congressional Budget
• Can legislate through appropriations
• Presidents Requests are viewed as suggestions
• May exceed Congressional Budget spending caps
• Allocations to functions are largely irrelevant
  (structure)
• Cases in which function aligns with subcommittee
  and becomes politically relevant (defense,
  homeland security)

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Appropriations Structure Process

• Appropriations Committee divides budget authority
  among its 13 Subcommittees

8. Interior 9. Labor, HHS, Ed 10. Legislative
Branch 11. Military Construction 12.
Transportation/Treasury 13. VA/HUD

• Agriculture
• Commerce, State Justice
• Defense
• District of Columbia
• Energy and Water
• Foreign Operations
• Homeland Security

• Process House, Senate, Conference, President
• Due September 30 for next FY (rarely met)

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FY 2005 Budget Outlook

• Tight Budget, Large Deficit (500 B)
• Significant National Priorities
• Control Spending and Deficits
• War on Terrorism, Homeland Security, Iraq
• Medicare, Healthcare, Social Security, Veterans
  (lobby/politics drives spending)
• Increases in Mandatory Spending and Deficit
  Control Measures are Squeezing the Discretionary
  Budget
• Domestic Discretionary Spending held to 0.5
  increase
• Baby Boomer Generation

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FY 2005 RD Budget OutlookPresidents Request

• Total federal RD in FY 2005 is 132.0 B (5.5
  B)
• Increases go to DOD and DHS (7 and 15)
• Increases go primarily to development (8)
• Basic and applied would be flat at 55.7 B
  (0.2)
• Biomedical RD continues to out-pace
• non-biomedical RD

Congress Is still working on the budget
conference. Numbers may change, but trends
are similar
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FY 2005 Appropriations

• The Budget Resolution is not completed.
  Appropriations Committee is using 821 B for
  allocation.
• Allocations for the subcommittees have not been
  set
• Likely that allocations will be flat or less than
  FY 2004
• Except in DHS/DOD
• Trade-offs between programs will be significant
  and difficult.
• Subcommittees are currently holding hearings to
  help them set priorities

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FY 2005 ST Specifics
NSF

• Presidents Request 5.745 B (3 over FY 2004)
• Well short of the 7.4 B necessary to double by
  2007
• Increases in MRE Salaries
• Decrease in Education and Human Resources (EHR)
• Other directorates up 2.2
• Congress No number has been suggested
• Chairman Walsh and Ranking Member Mollohan are
  supportive of NSF
• Cant give what they dont have
• Mr. Ehlers Mr. Holt are sponsoring letter to
  support NSF
• Setting up self-sustaining NSF lobbying plan

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FY 2005 ST Specifics
DOE Office of Science

• Presidents Request 3.4 B (-2 from FY 2004)
• Well short of the 4.2 B in H.R. 6
• Increases for Security and Workforce
• Significant decrease in Science Lab
  Infrastructure Biological and Environmental
  Research
• Congress No number has been suggested
• Chairman Hobson and Ranking Member Visclosky are
  supportive
• Likely to have significant funding hole in
  allocation (Yucca)
• Mrs. Biggert is starting a letter to support DOE
  SC

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FY 2005 ST Specifics
NIH

• Presidents Request 28.8 B (2.6 from FY
  2004)
• Most Institutes up by 2.8-3.3
• 60 million in new money for the NIH Roadmap for
  Biomedical Research
• Grant size and new starts increase slightly
• Congress No number has been suggested
• Do not expect NIH funding to increase
  significantly, but never know given the
  biomedical lobby

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FY 2005 ST Specifics
Doubling

• Lessons from NIH Doubling
• Need to have a reasonable plan for growth before
• and after doubling
• Members public will expect outcomes after
  doubling
• Need an effective lobby to push doubling through
  appropriationsnot enough to have authorizing
  language

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FY 2005 ST Specifics
Doubling

• NSF Doubling
• Mr. Ehlers supports NSF doubling is working to
  return NSF funding to the doubling track as soon
  as possible.
• In the meantime
• Fight for continued positive growth in NSF budget
• Maintain momentum generated by doubling effort
• Educate Members on importance of basic research
  NSF
• Build an effective coalition and lobby for NSF
  growth
• Encourage NSF to develop cohesive plans for pre-
  and post-doubling

DOE SC Doubling is gaining support but has a long
way to go
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Challenges in FY 2005

• Very tight discretionary budget
• Organization of Appropriations pits ST agencies
  against other popular programs (NSF vs. VA/HUD)
• Need to protect the budgets of various agencies
• Educate Members on importance of ST investment
  to innovation and economic growth
• Effectively lobby make ST something Members
  support in all years (lean or flush)
• Members are reluctant to sign letters this year

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What Can you do?

• Give up being Apolitical
• Realize that government does not owe anything
  to science
• Participateconnect with Congress, CNSF, ESC
• Educate
• Members
• Yourself, Your Colleagues, Your Students
• Specifically for FY 2005
• Write or Call your Member of Congress and ask
  them to sign the NSF and DOE letters.