What's New: To receive these updates and announcements by email, manage your subscription, or review the mailing list archive, go to the NCSE List User Form.   NSF Budget Cut by $111 Million in House Bill July 30, 2004 -- In a shock to the scientific community, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would cut the budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF) by $111 million in FY 2005.  The House appropriations bill would provide $5.47 billion for the NSF in FY 2005, which is 2.0 percent less than last year's funding level and 5.0 percent less than the Administration's FY 2005 budget request (Table 1).   The House appropriations bill contradicts the NSF Authorization Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-368), which authorizes a doubling of the agency's budget over five years.  Instead of increasing NSF's budget toward the doubling path, the appropriations bill would cut the agency's funding for the first time in many years.   The cuts also defy the spirit of a bipartisan letter signed by 157 Members of Congress, which states, "We believe that significant increases in NSF's overall budget are warranted."  The letter of June 8, 2004 says, "We are writing to urge you to make the National Science Foundation (NSF) a priority and fund it at the highest possible level in the Fiscal Year 2005 budget."  It concludes, "We cannot afford to sacrifice the research and education which current and future generations need to ensure their economic prosperity and domestic security."   Other highlights regarding the National Science Foundation from the House appropriations bill and accompanying report are provided below: The Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account would receive $4.15 billion, a cut of $99.6 million or 2.3 percent relative to FY 2004.  The cut in this account would be $73.7 million after adjusting for a transfer of $26.0 million from R&RA to the Salaries and Expenses account.  Under the House bill, no funds would be provided for the proposed new class of Science and Technology Centers in FY 2005.                  The Education and Human Resources (EHR) account would receive $843 million, a cut of $96.0 million or 10.2 percent relative to FY 2004.  The Math Science Partnership (MSP) would be cut by $56.7 million.  The House Appropriations committee rejected the Administration's proposal to transfer this program from EHR to R&RA.                  The Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account would receive $208.2 million, an increase of $53.3 million or 34.4 percent relative to FY 2004.  The House bill would provide initial funding of $30.0 million for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and $47.3 million in continued funding for EarthScope.  Responding to a National Research Council recommendation to revise plans for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the House bill would provide $6 million for continued planning and design of NEON from the R&RA account but no funds for construction in FY 2005.   The NSF budget will not be finalized until the FY 2005 appropriations bill is passed in identical form by both chambers and signed into law by the President.  Although the federal fiscal year begins on October 1, Congress may not complete action on the FY 2005 funding measure until after the November elections.   The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is working with other scientific organizations to increase funding for NSF when the appropriations bill is considered by the full House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.  Additional information about NSF appropriations is available at www.NCSEonline.org/Updates.   Table 1. National Science Foundation Appropriations (budget authority in millions of dollars) ____________________________________________________________________________ Budget Authority Change from FY 2004 NSF Program (millions of dollars)  to FY 2005 House FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2005   Amount Percent   Actual1 Estimate2 Request3 House4   ($ Millions) (%)           Research and Related Activities (R&RA) 4,054.0 4,251.4 4,452.0 4,151.7   -99.6 -2.3% Edu. and Human Resources (EHR) 935.0 939.0 771.4 843.0   -96.0 -10.2% Major Research Equipment (MREFC) 179.0 154.9 213.3 208.2   53.3 34.4% Salaries and Expenses 189.0 218.7 294.0 250.0   31.3 14.3% National Science Board 3.0 3.9 4.0 4.0   0.1 1.9% Office of Inspector General 9.0 9.9 10.1 10.1   0.2 1.7%                 TOTAL 5,369.0 5,578.0 5,745.0 5,467.0   -111.0 -2.0% ____________________________________________________________________________ Source: NCSE analysis of VA, HUD, Independent Agencies appropriations bill and accompanying     report as approved by House Appropriations Committee on July 22, 2004. 1 FY 2003 Actual as provided by NSF 2 FY 2004 Estimate as provided by House Appropriations Committee 3 President's budget request for FY 2005 4 FY 2005 House refers to funding levels as approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 22.        The cut in the R&RA account would be $73.7 million after adjusting for a transfer of $26.0 million from      R&RA to the Salaries and Expenses account.  The cut in the EHR account would be $90.5 million after      adjusting for a transfer of $5.5 million from EHR to the Salaries and Expenses account. Update: September 14, 2004 -- The House Appropriations bill, HR 5041, and accompanying committee report are now available to the public.    ---------------------------------------------------- Craig Schiffries and Jeremy Katzen National Council for Science and the Environment 1707 H Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20006 Tel: 202-530-5810 E-mail: schiffries@NCSEonline.org

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