Other science funding agencies have not fared as well. Under an omnibus bill (H.R. 2405) passed last October that combined authorizations for seven federal funding agencies, the total appropriations for basic research increased by just 1.4 percent. The loser was the National Science Foundation, which took a cut of 0.8 percent, from $2.245 billion in 1995 to $2.226 billion in 1996. However, the bill is still pending in the Senate.
These modest increases are welcome news to the scientific community, in light of earlier threats by freshman members of Congress to slash science funding by 30 percent over the next seven years. But it would be a serious mistake for scientists to become-or remain-complacent about congressional research funding decisions.
The need for activism was best expressed by House Science Committee Chairman Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.). In a House debate on July 12 about an energy and water appropriation bill (H.R. ...
