Bush budget (science) in the Chronicle of Higher Education

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

The article below is important, particularly given discussions of funding 
for author-paid publication.  It's not in the free section of the CHE; 
subscribers can find it at:

<http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i23/23a02402.htm>

In summary, the article shows that NSF/NIH are flattening out quickly,
making $$ more competitive.  See some excerpts below.  Ann Okerson

***

Bush Budget Offers Small Increases for Science, and Some Cuts
Spending slows at the NIH, and proposed increases fail to match inflation

****

By JEFFREY BRAINARD and ANNE MARIE BORREGO

Washington

President Bush's austere budget for 2005 would provide very little growth
or, in some cases, cuts in spending for research programs. But the plan,
released last week, gives modest increases to the two largest sources of
federal funds for academic scientists, the National Institutes of Health
and the National Science Foundation.

The NIH would get an increase of 2.7-percent, to $28.804-billion, and the
NSF of 3 percent, to $5.745-billion.

Over all, Mr. Bush proposed an increase of 4 percent for all discretionary
spending, or programs not required by law. But most of that would go to
defense and homeland security. Money for activities outside those areas
would rise by just 0.5 percent. The numbers reflect Mr. Bush's push to
control a ballooning federal deficit, which his administration estimates
will top $500-billion in 2004.

The proposed spending for science and technology represents a marked
slowdown following several years of healthy increases, especially for the
NIH. In this budget, most science programs would get increases below
inflation. Total science-and-technology spending would decline by 0.4
percent, to $60.413-billion, excluding Pentagon expenditures for weapons
development. Spending for science-and-technology programs at agencies
other than the NIH would drop by 3 percent.

Meanwhile, money for basic research would rise slightly, by 0.6 percent,
to $26.847-billion. The bulk of federal funds for basic research typically
goes to colleges.

[SNIP -- see complete article for extensive details that are provided 
therein.]