U.S. Bailout Will Gut Science Funding, Experts Fear

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/97674415.html

U.S. Bailout Will Gut Science Funding, Experts Fear
Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
Updated September 29, 2008

With the U.S. Congress wrangling over a $700-billion bailout plan for  
the financial crisis this week, the final contours of any bailout are  
hard to predict. But some experts say that any bailout—or even no  
bailout at all—may decimate funding for science.

The concern isn't that Congress will turn anti-science, observers note.

Lawmakers' attitudes toward scientific research have always been  
"fairly positive," said David Goldston, former chief of staff for the  
U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology. (See a gallery of the  
best science photos of 2008.)

But there simply might not be enough money to go around. "The biggest  
factor is what's happening with overall domestic spending," Goldston  
said.

John Marburger, science adviser to U.S. President George Bush, agreed.  
"The problem is that if the discretionary budget shrinks, then to keep  
science whole something else has to shrink even more," he told  
National Geographic News.

And science is a field in which spending may not pay off for many years.

"In the meantime, [the concern is] I'm losing my house, I'm losing my  
job," said Kevin Finneran, editor in chief of the National Academy of  
Sciences journal Issues in Science and Technology.

"Something that delivers long-term benefits loses prominence in a  
climate like that."

Forseeable Problem

Among scientists, one group that may be particularly hard hit is young  
researchers at the start of their careers.

"If lack of funding drives our most promising young people away from  
careers in research, the long-term damage to science could be  
significant," Finneran said.

To prevent this, he said, scientists may have to learn how to fight  
for what research dollars they can get.

"Scientists are not a very effective political lobby. They haven't had  
to be because everybody sort of sees them as doing God's work. But  
when budgets get tight, other groups might wind up being more  
effective at saving themselves."

Even before the current crisis, some leaders were concerned that the  
increases in Social Security and Medicare spending brought about by  
America's aging population would put a squeeze on future budgets.

"[Seniors] are taking an ever bigger bite out of the overall tax  
dollar," Finneran said, "making it much more difficult for government  
to find the funds for any of its discretionary activities. That  
includes science, but it even includes things like the Defense  
Department."

Presidential adviser Marburger said this problem has been foreseeable.

"I have been preaching caution about future science budgets for two  
years," he said.

"I always knew future budgets would be impacted by the relentless  
increase in the mandatory portion of the federal budget, and by the  
need to chip away at the budget deficit. The cost of restoring  
confidence in the financial markets simply adds to those concerns."

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