ASME President Concerned About Omnibus Appropriations Bill

John Varrasi
ASME Communications

The fiscal year 2008 Omnibus Appropriation Bill, recently passed by both the House and Senate and signed by President George W. Bush at the end of the year, does not adhere to the promises made by Congress nor what the administration laid out in the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act, stated ASME President Sam Y. Zamrik.

ASME President Sam Y. Zamrik

Last year, the administration and Congress enacted the America COMPETES Act, laying out a bold path toward revitalizing basic research in the physical sciences and engineering. COMPETES was a welcomed Congressional initiative to double funding for America's science and engineering research programs and expand science education that complemented the president's American Competitiveness Initiative and the Democratic Innovation Agenda.

Research agencies that serve as the cornerstone of America's innovation, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will not see the promised increases that would have set in motion a sustained commitment to research and development.

"This development is very disappointing for ASME and our members that supported the competitiveness and innovation agenda of the president and Congress," Zamrik said. According to Zamrik, by choosing to pass this omnibus spending bill, the administration and Congress are abandoning the authorization levels and the commitments to innovation contained in the America COMPETES Act.

"ASME looks forward to working with Congress and the administration to make FY 2009 a turning point, and help fulfill America's promise of supporting innovation and competitiveness," Zamrik added.

The America COMPETES Act was conceived as a bipartisan legislative response to the recommendations included in the National Academies' "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report and the Council on Competitiveness' "Innovate America" study.

To find out more about the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriation Bill, click here to read this month's Washington Hotline column.

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