New Republicans Could Revise Party Line on Research Funding

摘要

Since the midterm elections, U.S. science leaders have been reassuring their community that Republicans traditionally have been very supportive of basic research. As proof, they point to statements from Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, that his biggest failure after the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress was not pushing through a tripling of the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget. But the new House leadership, due in part to the success of Tea Party activists, is quite different from its predecessors. And that difference could put a damper on hopes that the next Congress will deliver on a long-promised expansion of federal spending on research and education outlined in a 2005 National Academies' report that has been embraced by both parties. Here's why. The day after Republicans reclaimed the House of Representatives, their second-in-command, Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA), spelled out what's changed.