Protecting the Homeland Sets Tone for 2004 Budget

摘要

Can science make us more secure? The Bush Administration is counting on it. The $2.23 trillion 2004 budget request that President George W. Bush sent Congress this week includes hefty raises for U.S. military and homeland security research programs. But most other government science efforts would grow more slowly? or not at all (see table). Science advocates are giving the plan mixed reviews―and urging Congress to perk up programs that they charge the Administration is letting wilt. Critics say the plan would erode recent gains made by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for instance, and are skeptical of White House claims that it is giving the National Science Foundation (NSF) a major boost (see p. 807). And with a possible war looming, the economy slumping, and budget analysts forecasting $300 billion deficits, some science advocates worry that it could be difficult to convince Congress to add funds. "Being a [science] lobbyist may not be much fun this year," says an analyst for one science society. White House science adviser John Mar-burger, however, calls the budget "a good one for science," given the Administration's priority on fighting terrorism while reining in government spending.