Applications sought for Congressional Fellow post

ASME currently has an opening for a Congressional Fellow to serve a one-year term in the office of a United States representative or senator or in the office of a Congressional Committee.

Applications are due April 1 and are available online at www.asme.org/gric.

ASME was the first engineering society to establish a Federal Government Fellows Program. Since its inception, other engineering and scientific societies have used ASME's program as a model in developing their own federal government fellow programs.

The program enables selected ASME members to work a year in government providing engineering and technical advice to policy makers in Congress, federal agencies and the White House. Federal Government Fellowships provide a valuable public service while giving engineers a unique opportunity to participate directly in the policy-making process.

Previous Fellows have described their year in Washington, D.C., as the most exciting, rewarding and educational period of their professional careers. This enriching experience enables Fellows to bring back to their employers an insider's perspective on government decision-making that can contribute significantly to the mission and vision of that organization.

A Fellowship applicant must hold U.S. citizenship and be an ASME member at the time of application.

The following credentials are encouraged: at least five years of professional experience, an advanced engineering degree, professional engineer registration and some public policy experience.

For additional information, contact Francis Dietz at dietzf@asme.org.

Bush budget hits the Hill with a thud

President Bush's recently released proposed budget for fiscal year 2006, which begins Oct. 1, was met with the usual flurry and bluster on Capitol Hill. Most members of his own party praised his "fiscal restraint." Many Democrats derided his priorities and the fact that the budget does not include funding for military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Even though Congress has its own spending priorities, which may or may not jibe with the president's, there are indications that Congress will go along with his overall spending limit, while tinkering with some of the details.

Bush's budget would reduce, not just limit, the budgets of the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Interior, Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Justice and Education, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, which is not a cabinet department. Only the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs would receive increases.

Key leaders of the president's party on Capitol Hill seemed to embrace his frugal budget, although the road to enactment of individual appropriations bills is a long and tortuous one. New Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., told reporters that "the president, with this budget, is bringing us back to our roots" of fiscal responsibility.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, shared Gregg's optimism, stating that Bush's budget "provides Congress with an excellent starting point" to begin the budget process.

For their part, Democrats panned the budget, complaining that its size was artificially low because war costs were not included. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the budget "a hoax on the American people" and "an assault on our values." House and Senate Democrats vowed to do what they could to reshape the president's priorities in the overall constraints of a tight budget year.

— Francis Dietz
ASME Government Relations

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