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Congress Misses 2002 Spending Deadline
DAVID HANSON
As fiscal 2002 begins, Congress has failed to send a single appropriations bill to President George W. Bush for signing. At C&EN's press time, only seven of the 13 bills had been passed by both House and Senate, with many scheduled for votes late last week. The government is operating under a continuing resolution until at least Oct. 16.
Research and development funding in the bills passed so far include small increases for science. The veterans affairs, housing and urban development and independent agencies bill (H.R. 2620) increases funding for NSF by more than 7%, to about $4.7 billion, slightly more than requested.
Funding for NASA would also be up slightly, despite complaints about space station cost overruns. The House-passed version gives NASA approximately a 4% increase to $14.9 billion for 2002; the Senate was slightly less generous.
Funding for USDA research programs at the Agricultural Research Service and the Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service (CSREES) could get $1.4 billion, the same as in 2001, with one exception. The special research grants provision has been cut, an annual event, slicing $100 million from CSREES.
One of the earliest bills to pass both houses, but still struggling in the conference committee, is the energy and water development bill, H.R. 2311, which funds the Energy Department's science programs. DOE's Office of Science may get a slight rise to almost $3.3 billion, about $100 million more than in 2001.
Bills with major research components that have not been passed by either branch include the health and human services bill, with funding for NIH, and the defense bill, which was being debated late last week.
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