NSF FY 2005 Appropriations Update

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Tim Finin <finin () cs umbc edu>
Date: November 18, 2004 3:31:03 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: NSF FY 2005 Appropriations Update

This is from CRA's computing research policy blog...
http://www.cra.org/govaffairs/blog/archives/000187.html
--

NSF FY 2005 Appropriations Update

Conflicting rumors abound regarding the outlook for NSF in
the FY 05 appropriations process. As House and Senate
negotiators attempt to put the finishing touches on an
omnibus appropriations bill by Friday or Saturday, word
comes that NSF will likely not fare well in the
bill. GovExec.com reports that a bit of rule-bending
employed by the Senate to "find" an additional $1.2 billion
in funding in their version of the VA-HUD-Independent
agencies appropriation bill, which includes funding for NSF,
isn't acceptable to the House leadership or the White House
budget office. So in order to stay within the budget cap,
appropriators will have offset any increase in spending with
funding from elsewhere in the bill.

In order to fund the President's lunar/Mars initiative at
NASA, it appears other agencies in the bill will bear the
brunt. GovExec.com reports that NSF is slated for a $60
million cut overall compared to the agency's FY 2004 funding
level, but that "research funding" -- presumably the
agency's Research and Related Activities account, which
contains funding for NSF CISE -- will "remain frozen" at FY
2004 levels.

A second rumor making the rounds suggests that the situation
at NSF may be even more grim, with funding levels below the
levels approved by the House appropriations committee. That
level, you may recall, would be a 2.0 percent reduction in
NSF's budget compared to FY 2004.

We continue to press Congress on the importance of
supporting funding at NSF at adequate levels. Keep an eye on
this space for the latest details....

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