The lobbyist credited his client. The client credited his lobbyist. Both praised scientists and legislators on the brink of an historic vote that would put the National Institutes of Health on the path to doubling its budget in five years. Congress, as of press time for The Scientist, was poised to pass a $500 billion legislative package that includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health. The agency received $13.648 billion for 1998. Prior to the vote on the "omnibus" spending bill, the Senate appropriations committee requested $15.6 billion for the agency--$819 million more than requested by President Bill Clinton in February (B. Agnew, The Scientist, 12[6]:1, March 16, 1998).
That vote represents the success of science advocacy--a complex network of registered lobbyists, informal advocates, scientists active on Capitol Hill, and philanthropists who help fund the campaign. While that network may have made a difference in this ...
