AIP FYI #114: FY 2004 NSF Budget Coming Into Focus

Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have completed
work on their versions of the FY 2004 VA, HUD, and Independent
Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 2004. The House bill contains
the most money for the National Science Foundation in the new fiscal
year, with an increase of 6.2%. The Senate bill recommends an
increase of 5.2%.

Four figures provide perspective on the pending increase for NSF:

This year’s NSF budget increased 10.4% over FY 2002.

The Bush Administration’s calculated FY 2004 NSF request was a 3.2%
increase over FY 2003.

The Consumer Price Index increased 2.1% from the second quarter of
2002 to the same period in 2003.

The House Science Committee’s “Views and Estimates” recommended a
total NSF FY 2004 budget of $6.390 billion, as authorized in the
National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002. The House
bill would provide $5.639 billion; the Senate bill $5.586 billion.

Regarding this Act, the draft report language of the Senate
Appropriations Committee explained that “The Committee continues to
be supportive of the efforts achieved in the National Science
Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-368) and the
pursuit of a doubling path for NSF funding. However, due to
funding constraints, the Committee is not able to provide such
funding at this time, but will continue to pursue these efforts in
the future.”

A future FYI will excerpt Senate Committee report language of
interest to the physics community. The following figures have been
released:

The overall NSF budget would increase 6.2%, or $329.1 million, to
$5,639.1 million in the House bill. In the Senate bill, it would
increase 5.2%, or $275.8 million, to $5,585.8 million.

The Research and Related Activities budget would increase 6.2%, or
$249.9 million, to $4,306.4 million in the House bill. In the
Senate bill, it would increase 4.0%, or $164.2 million, to 4,220.6
million.

– The Mathematical and Physical Sciences activity budget would
increase 6.4%, or $66.7 million, to $1,107.8 million in the House
bill. In the Senate bill, it would increase 4.3%, or $44.9 million,
to $1,085.9 million.

– The Geosciences activity budget would increase 3.7%, or $25.8
million, to $718.1 million in the House bill. The Senate bill
provides no increase.

– The Engineering activity budget would increase 3.6%, or $19.6
million, to $560.1 million, in the House bill. The Senate bill
provides a 1.8%, or $9.5 million, increase to $550.0 million.

– The U.S. Polar Programs budget would increase 11.3%, or $35.9
million, to $355.0 million in the House bill. The Senate bill
provides a 7.1%, or $22.7 million, increase to $341.7 million.

The Education and Human Resources Activity budget would increase
0.2%, or $1.5 million, to $904.7 million in the House bill. The
Senate bill provides an 8.0%, or $72.7 million, increase to $975.9
million.

The Major Research Equipment and Facilities budget would increase
29.5%, or $43.8 million, to $192.3 million in the House bill. The
Senate bill provides a 0.8%, or $1.1 million, increase to $149.7
million. Within this budget (figures are as compared to the
Administration’s request, not current year funding.):

– Both bills provide the requested level of funding for the George
E. Brown Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation.

The House bill provides the requested level of funding for the
Atacama Large Millimeter Array; the Senate bill $0.2 million more.

The House bill provides the requested level for South Pole
Modernization; the Senate bill $0.34 million more.

The House bill provides less than the requested amount of funding
for the IceCube Neutrino Detector (reduced 16%, or $8 million, to
$42 million), as does the Senate bill that provides $35.5 million.

The House bill provides less than the requested amount of funding
for Earthscope (reduced 3.3%, or $1.5 million, to $43.5 million),
as does the Senate bill that provides $43.7 million.

The House bill provides less than the requested amount of funding
for Terascale Computing Systems (reduced 50%, or $10 million, to $10
million), as does the Senate bill that provides $10.1 million.

The Senate bill provides no funding for “new starts.”

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Richard M. Jones

Media and Government Relations Division

The American Institute of Physics

fyi@aip.org http://www.aip.org/gov

(301) 209-3094

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