President Obama's FY 2017 budget proposal reflects overall spending constraints

摘要

Federal research and development (R&D) funding has fared relatively well in spite of the partisan gridlock that has afflicted Congress in recent years, but President Obama's proposed budget for FY 2017 reflects the formidable headwinds that are gathering force. Although Congress could not agree on a budget through most of 2016, the October budget deal and the December FY 2016 omnibus legislation allowed science agency budgets to continue their recent recovery from sequestration-level spending. In fact, thanks to relatively positive funding outcomes in two out of the past three omnibus bills, most major R&D agencies are now at or near their pre-sequestration spending levels in constant dollars.