House members weigh in on Bush science, technology budget request

At a recent hearing, members of the House Committee on Science from both sides of the aisle sharply criticized the Bush administration's proposed budget for science and technology, calling it "simply inadequate," "disappointing" and "not a good budget for science."

John Marburger, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, was on the hot seat, but defended what is essentially a flat budget overall for science and technology programs throughout the government, stating that the president's R&D budget needed to be placed in "context."

Marburger said that he "would like to place the president's R&D request in the context of strong support for science and technology in this administration. With the president's fiscal year 2005 budget, total R&D investment during the first term will be increased by 44 percent, to a record $132 billion in 2005, compared to $91 billion in fiscal year 2001. That equates to increases of nearly 10 percent each year. This administration understands that science and technology are major drivers of economic growth and important for securing the homeland and winning the war on terrorism."

Still, Marburger said, "The administration is also determined, however, to control the deficit and reduce it as the economy continues to grow, while ensuring that our national security needs are met. Funding the nation's expanding national and homeland security needs while limiting other budget growth to less than 0.5 percent will lead to smaller increases for other categories, including some R&D programs."

Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., understood — to a point. "On the one hand, I understand that the administration's goal was to protect science in a very austere budget environment, and I appreciate that. On the other hand, it's impossible to seriously view this as a good budget for science," Boehlert said. "I will be doing everything I can to see that science prospers" in this budget, he added.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., a scientist and inventor, likened cutting back R&D spending to a farmer "eating his seed corn. When we fail to invest in R&D," Bartlett said, "we guarantee smaller harvest and fewer innovations."

Additional information about the R&D budget for key agencies is available on EngineeringPolicy.Org at www.engineeringpolicy.org.


President signs anti-'brain drain' bill into law to aid NASA

President Bush recently signed into law legislation to address the "brain drain" at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Within five years, a quarter of the NASA workforce will be eligible to retire. S. 610, the NASA Flexibility Act of 2003, would give NASA more flexibility to recruit and retain a highly skilled workforce.

House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., sponsor of the original House bill (H.R. 1085) was pleased at the bill's approval. "I applaud the president's action today," said Boehlert. "I think it's a simple and obvious fact that NASA needs to improve its ability to attract and retain the best and the brightest. At a time of great challenges for NASA, study after study have shown that the space agency's current talent is on the brink of retirement. S. 610 is a moderate, targeted, careful approach to enable NASA to overcome one of its fundamental, pressing problems. The act doesn't make any radical departures from current law. Rather, it modifies and expands existing workforce authorities so that NASA can compete with the private sector in the labor market."

S. 610 builds on existing law. Among other reforms, it allows NASA to offer larger recruitment and retention bonuses than are permitted currently, and to offer bonuses to employees shifting between federal jobs without relocating.

Within NASA's science and engineering workforce, the over-60 population outnumbers its under-30 population by nearly 3 to 1. The U.S. General Accounting Office has ranked "strengthening human capital" as one of NASA's top management challenges since 2001.

Kathryn Holmes handles public policy-related aeronautics issues for ASME. She can be reached at holmesk@asme.org. Or visit www.engineeringpolicy.org for additional information about NASA R&D.

— Kathryn Holmes
ASME Government Relations

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