1. The Federal R&D Budget: Process and Outlook
Matt Hourihan
April 25, 2017
For the SETCVD
AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program

2. The Federal Budget is Kind Of a Big Deal
Dollars are oxygen for science programs – but every dollar in the budget has claimants!
The budget process is, fundamentally, a negotiation between competing constituencies, interests, ideologies, and value systems in a structured, decentralized system
“Politics is who gets what, when, and how.” - Harold Lasswell
“Budgeting is about values, and it’s about choices.” – Rep. Rosa DeLauro
Major impact for R&D and innovation: most basic research, and most university research, is federally funded

3. Step 1: President Proposes…

10. Step 2: …and the Congress Disposes?

11. Reception and Questions…
Some Republican responses:
“draconian, careless, and counterproductive”
“cannot pass”
“does not work”
“you’ll see some changes”
“ridiculous”
FY17 appropriations: how does Congress wrap things up?
FY18 budget resolution: Where do the caps end up?
Remember: 60 votes required to change!
FY18 appropriations: does support continue? How does the basic/applied dichotomy shake out?

12. Congressional Budget and Appropriations
Budget Resolution limits discretionary spending in total Appropriations Committees subsequently limit spending by bill [via 302(b) allocations]
Approps committees write/approve 12 appropriations bills
Bills have to pass both chambers, subject to amendment
Conference committee
Can be filibustered/vetoed
Twelve Appropriations Subcommittees
Eight subcommittees responsible for at least $1 billion of R&D
Approps led by “Cardinals”
Committee Chairs: Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), Sen. Thad Cochran (MS)
Ranking Members: Rep. Nita Lowey (NY), Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT)
Appropriators will often have their own priorities

13. Energy & Water Subcommittee
House
Senate
Chair
Mike Simpson (ID)
Lamar Alexander (TN)
Ranking Member
Marcy Kaptur (OH)
Dianne Feinstein (CA)
~$40 billion
Challenge: balancing basic research, DOE tech portfolio, NNSA, national labs; also Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation
Questions:
What happens to applied tech?
Does support for science programs (physics, bio, others) continue?

14. Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee
House
Senate
Chair
Tom Cole (OK)
Roy Blunt (MO)
Ranking Member
Rosa DeLauro (CT)
Patty Murray (WA)
>$150 billion
Deep divisions over public health programs, education, DOL
Usually one of the hardest to pass, thus usually one of the last out of the gate
Everybody likes NIH lately
Especially Alzheimer’s research
Cancer moonshot?

15. Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee
House
Senate
Chair
John Culberson (TX)
Richard Shelby (AL)
Ranking Member
Jose Serrano (NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
~$55 billion
Challenge: balancing Depts. of Justice and Commerce, NASA, NSF
Questions:
NSF: social and geo science funding? Facilities?
NASA: what happens to earth science? Human spaceflight? (and where do we go?)
Commerce: What happens to NOAA climate research and NIST commercial technology programs?

16. Defense
House
Senate
Chair
Kay Granger (TX)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Ranking Member
Pete Visclosky (IN)
Dick Durbin (IL)
Over $500 billion
Tradeoffs: balancing force modernization, readiness, personnel costs, defense science & tech ecosystem (including RDT&E and medical research): short-term versus long-term
Offset Strategy?
War funding?

17. Agriculture Subcommittee
House
Senate
Chair
Robert Aderholt (AL)
John Hoeven (ND)
Ranking Member
Sanford Bishop (GA)
Jeff Merkley (OR)
~$20 billion
Funds most USDA (but not Forest Service); also FDA
Balancing between conservation, public assistance, food safety
Questions:
Does growth for competitive grants continue?
Do formula funds remain lower priority?
Also: Farm Bill on the horizon

18. Interior & Environment
House
Senate
Chair
Ken Calvert (CA)
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Ranking Member
Betty McCollum (MN)
Tom Udall (NM)
~$30 billion
Includes: Dept. of the Interior, EPA; also Forest Service; small bit goes to NIH
Another divisive bill: environmental protection, land use, emissions regulation, wildfire management and response
Again, science funding tends to take secondary prominence (U.S. Geological Survey, EPA S&T)

19. For more info…