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VA/HUD
Appropriations Bill Cuts National Science Foundation Programs by
2 Percent The House VA/HUD/Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee marked up their funding bill for FY2005 programs on July 20, and the full House Appropriations Committee approved the bill on July 22. As expected, programs under the National Science Foundation (NSF) did not fare well. NSF received $5.5 billion in funding, which is $111 million below last year and $278 million below the amount requested by the Administration, which represents a 2 percent cut. $843 million was allocated to the NSF for education and human resources programs, including only $80 million for the NSF Math and Science Partnerships (MSPs), which will be used as continuation grants for existing programs. NASA received $15.1 billion in funding, $229 million below last year and $1.1 billion below the Administration’s request. According to the committee website, the bulk of these savings come from the elimination of funding for new initiatives. According to Congressional Quarterly, “most agencies, especially those dealing with the environment and science, saw their budgets slashed so that appropriators could increase spending for two politically popular programs, veterans health care and the HUD rent voucher program known as Section 8.” The Senate VA/HUD/Independent Agencies has not yet taken up their appropriations bill for -FY2005 programs. As you will recall the House Appropriations Committee last week approved $269 million for the MSPs at the U. S. Department of Education. Congress has
adjourned for the summer and is expected to resume after Labor Day.
More information on these spending bills, and the future outlook
for the Senate appropriations bills, will be provided in future
legislative updates.
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