COMPUTING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION BULLETIN

[Prof. David Farber <David.Farber () cisr anu edu au>]

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                      COMPUTING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION


                                 BULLETIN


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Volume 2 Number 14                                           August 4, 1994
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About CRA:    Computing Research Association is a non-profit association
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Summary:
                [1] DOD APPROPRIATIONS PASSES SENATE FULL COMMITTEE


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DOD APPROPRIATIONS PASSES SENATE FULL COMMITTEE
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A month after the House slashed the Defense Department's $1.8 billion
university research budget in half, the Senate Appropriations Committee
restored the bulk of the cut in a July 29 report.


The news came as a relief to the university community, which had been
alarmed by a $900 million cut made in June by House appropriations from the
Defense university research budget request of $1.8 million.


Of the $900 million cut, the Senate restored $818 million, according to a
report  (103-321) released July 29 by the full committee. The $82 million
Senate cut draws mostly from Army, Navy and Airforce research programs,
with $25 million coming from the University Research Initiatives program in
the Office of the Secretary of Defense.


The House cut grew from an internal fight between Rep. John Murtha (D-PA),
chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Rep. George Brown
(D-CA), chair of the Science and Technology Committee.


Congressional sources said Murtha fully expected the Senate to rescind
these cuts, at least in part, and would not fight them in conference. One
staffer noted that Murtha's action was intended as a "message" to the
research community.


The Defense spending bill will likely go to the Senate floor in September,
a staffer speculated, before going to conference with the House version.


Although the Senate university research cut is modest, the Senate report
language suggests that university research may increasingly become a target
for future reductions.


In its report, the Senate Appropriations Committee states: "The committee
also recognizes the need to reduce overall funding provided for university
research in view of the large growth in this area during the past years.


"However, the committee disagrees with the $900 million reduction
recommended in the House allowance, since such a one-year decrease may
disrupt legitimate defense-related research and cause undue hardship for
the university community."


Also, the report criticizes Defense for $235 million in audit discrepancies
involving university grants. The committee directs Defense to respond by
March 31, 1995 with a report , detailing the status of efforts to resolve
outstanding audits, including "an assessment of each educational
institution's level of cooperation."


The Senate report also contains significant developments in the Advance
Research Project Agency's Computing Systems and Communications Technology
(CSCT) program, which plays a major role in the High Performance Computing
and Communications initiative.


While the House had recommended funding CSCT at $426 million,  slightly
more than the $420 million requested amount, the Senate decided to fund $36
million below the request. This cut results in a total CSCT appropriation
of $384 million-an 8.6% decrease from the request.


This cut is spread out through various programs, detailed in the report.
The bulk of it stems from a $25 million transfer of funds requested for
counter-proliferation programs to a new program element administered by
ARPA.


As usual, the Senate report contains several earmarks for various
facilities within the home states of key Senators involved with the
appropriations process.


For instance, it states that $7 million of the high performance computing
project "shall be made available only to the Maui High Performance
Computing Center," which is in Hawaii, the home state of Defense
appropriations subcommittee Chair Sen. Daniel Inouye. Also, it earmarks
another $7 million of HPC project funds for the Air Forces Rome Laboratory,
which resides New York, the home state of subcommittee member Sen. Alfonse
D'Amato.


Finally, the Senate restored a $130 million House cut to the High
Performance Computing Modernization Program, which is less a research than
an advanced development program.  The Senate restored the program to the
requested level of $183 million.


- --
Editorial Staff:


Juan Antonio Osuna, CRA Bulletin Editor
     josuna () cra org


Rick Weingarten, CRA Executive Director
     rick () cra org


Computing Research Association
1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 718
Washington, DC 20009
phone: (202) 234-2111
fax:   (202) 667-1066






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