AIP FYI #12: On the Record: Members of Congress on NSF and DOE Science Funding
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up legislation to complete the FY 2007 appropriations cycle. This $463.5 billion bill will contain funding for the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The bill will then go to the Senate, where the schedule is much less certain.
Last December, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced plans to largely continue the current level of discretionary funding (essentially the FY 2006 level in most cases) until September 30 of this year. In some instances, upward adjustments would be made. The current funding mechanism expires on February 15. (Note that the Defense and Homeland Security appropriations bills have been passed.) Members would like to finish the FY 2007 budget cycle before President Bush sends his FY 2008 request to Congress on February 5.
Four letters have circulated on Capitol Hill asking appropriators to fund the Office of Science and the National Science Foundation at the level requested by President Bush almost a year ago in his FY 2007 budget request. These “Dear Colleague” letters are intended to demonstrate Member support. A number of letters on various programs have been distributed to representatives and senators.
Below are the names of the senators and representatives who have signed the NSF and Office of Science letters. Representatives and senators who signed the NSF letter plus (“+”) the Office of Science letter are so designated.
Members and their staffs take note of expressions of constituent appreciation; see http://www.aip.org/gov/nb1.html for contact information.
SENATE LETTER ON THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: Twenty-three senators signed a letter to Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), asking them to “uphold the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science and Related agencies subcommittee request of $5.99 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) as you complete work on the fiscal year 2007 continuing resolution.” Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT-I) led this effort. The text of this letter can be read at http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/008.html
CALIFORNIA: Boxer (D)+
COLORADO: Salazar (D)+
CONNECTICUT: Dodd (D)+, Lieberman (I)+
DELAWARE: Biden (D)+
HAWAII: Akaka (D)+
ILLINOIS: Obama (D)+
INDIANA: Bayh (D)+
MASSACHUSETTS: Kennedy (D)+, Kerry (D)+
MICHIGAN: Levin (D)+, Stabenow (D)+
MISSOURI: Bond (R)
NEW JERSEY: Lautenberg (D)+, Menendez (D)+
NEW MEXICO: Bingaman (D)+
NEW YORK: Clinton (D)+, Schumer (D)+
OHIO: Brown (D)
OREGON: Smith (R)+
VERMONT: Sanders (I)+
VIRGINIA: Warner (R)+
WISCONSIN: Feingold (D)+
SENATE LETTER ON DOE OFFICE OF SCIENCE: Forty-five senators signed a letter to Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Ranking Member Pete Domenici (R-NM) urging that they “uphold the President’s fiscal year 2007 funding request of $4.l billion for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science.” The letter was circulated by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and can be read at http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/006.html
ARKANSAS: Lincoln (D)
CALIFORNIA: Boxer (D)+, Feinstein (D)
COLORADO: Salazar (D)+
CONNECTICUT: Dodd (D)+, Lieberman (I)+
DELAWARE: Biden (D)+
FLORIDA: Martinez (R), Nelson (D)
GEORGIA: Chambliss (R)
HAWAII: Akaka (D)+
ILLINOIS: Durbin (D), Obama (D)+
INDIANA: Bayh (D)+, Lugar (R)
IOWA: Grassley (R), Harkin (D)
KANSAS: Roberts (R)
MAINE: Snowe (R)
MASSACHUSETTS: Kennedy (D)+, Kerry (D)+
MICHIGAN: Levin (D)+, Stabenow (D)+
MINNESOTA: Coleman (R)
MISSISSIPPI: Lott (R)
MONTANA: Baucus (D)
NEBRASKA: Hagel (R)
NEW JERSEY: Lautenberg (D)+, Menendez (D)+
NEW MEXICO: Bingaman (D)+
NEW YORK: Clinton (D)+, Schumer (D)+
NORTH CAROLINA: Dole (R)
OHIO: Voinovich (R)
OREGON: Smith (R)+, Wyden (D)
SOUTH DAKOTA: Thune (R)
TENNESSEE: Alexander (R), Corker (R)
TEXAS: Cornyn (R), Hutchinson (R)
VERMONT: Saunders (I)+
VIRGINIA: Warner (R)+, Webb (D)
WISCONSIN: Feingold (D)+
REPRESENTATIVES SIGNING OFFICE OF SCIENCE LETTER: Sixty-four representatives signed a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI), Ranking Minority Member Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Peter Visclosky (D-IN), and Ranking Member David Hobson (R-OH). This letter, circulated by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), states, “we request that you fund the DOE Office of Science at $4.1 billion, the level requested by the President and approved by the House of Representatives and by the Senate Appropriations Committee.” The letter may be read at: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/005.html
CALIFORNIA: Eshoo (D), Lofgren (D)+, Matsui (D)+, Tauscher (D)+
ILLINOIS: Biggert (R)+, Davis (D)+, Gutierrez (D), Hastert (R),
Johnson (R)+, Kirk (R), Lipinski (D)+, Manzullo (R), Roskam (R), Rush (D)+, Schakowsky (D)+, Shimkus (R), Weller (R)
INDIANA: Hill (D)+
KANSAS: Boyda (D)+, Moore (D)+, Moran (R)+
LOUISIANA: Jefferson (D)+
MAINE: Allen (D)+
MARYLAND: Cummings (D)+, Gilchrest (R), Van Hollen (D)+, Wynn (D)+
MASSACHUSETTS: Capuano (D)+, Frank (D), Meehan (D), Tierney (D)+
MICHIGAN: Dingell (D)+, Ehlers (R)+
NEBRASKA: Fortenberry (R)+
NEW JERSEY: Andrews (D), Holt (D)+, Pascrell (D)+, Payne (D), Saxton (R)+, Sires (D)+
NEW YORK: Bishop (D)+, King (R), Maloney (D)+
OHIO: Pryce (R)+
PENNSYLVANIA: Doyle (D)+
SOUTH CAROLINA: Inglis (R)+
SOUTH DAKOTA: Herseth (D)+
TENNESSEE: Cohen (D)+, Cooper (D), Davis (R), Davis (D), Duncan (R), Wamp (R)
TEXAS: Hall (R), Hinojosa (D), Jackson-Lee (D)+, McCaul (R), Smith (R)
VIRGINIA: Davis (R), Moran (D)+
WASHINGTON: Hastings (R)+, McDermott (D)+, McMorris (R)
WISCONSIN: Baldwin (D)+
REPRESENTATIVES SIGNING NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION LETTER: Eighty-four representatives signed a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Minority Member Jerry Lewis (R-CA) requesting “that you fund NSF at the House-passed, President’s requested level of $6.02 billion in fiscal year 2007.” This letter was authored by Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), and can be read at http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/003.html
ALABAMA: Bonner (R)
ARIZONA: Mitchell (D)
CALIFORNIA: Berman (D), Capps (D), Davis (D), Lantos (D), Lofgren (D)+, Matsui (D)+, Tauscher (D)+, Watson (D), Woolsey (D)
COLORADO: DeGette (D), Udall (D)
GEORGIA: Lewis (D)
HAWAII: Hirono (D)
ILLINOIS: Biggert (R)+, Davis (D)+, Johnson (R)+, Lipinski (D)+, Rush (D)+, Schakowsky (D)+
INDIANA: Hill (D)+
IOWA: Braley (D), Loebsack (D)
KANSAS: Boyda (D)+, Moore (D)+, Moran (R)+
LOUISIANA: Baker (R), Jefferson (D)+
MAINE: Allen (D)+, Michaud (D)
MARYLAND: Cummings (D)+, Van Hollen (D)+, Wynn (D)+
MASSACHUSETTS: Capuano (D)+, Delahunt (D), Markey (D), McGovern (D), Tierney (D)+
MICHIGAN: Dingell (D)+, Ehlers (R)+, Kildee (D), McCotter (R), Rogers (R)
MINNESOTA: Oberstar (D)
NEBRASKA: Fortenberry (R)+
NEW JERSEY: Holt (D)+, Pallone (D), Pascrell (D)+, Saxton (R)+, Sires (D)+
NEW YORK: Bishop (D)+, Engel (D), Hinchey (D), Maloney (D)+, McCarthy (D), McNulty (D)
NORTH CAROLINA: Etheridge (D), McIntyre (D), Miller (D)
OHIO: Pryce (R)+
OREGON: DeFazio (D), Hooley (D), Wu (D)
PENNSYLVANIA: Doyle (D)+, Fattah (D), Gerlach (R)
SOUTH CAROLINA: Inglis (R)+
SOUTH DAKOTA: Herseth (D)+
TEXAS: Hall (R), Jackson Lee (D)+, Johnson (D)
TENNESSEE: Cohen (D)+, Gordon (D)
VIRGINIA: Moran (D)+
WASHINGTON: Baird (D), Dicks (D), Hastings (R)+, Inslee (D), McDermott (D),+ Reichert (R)
WISCONSIN: Baldwin (D)+, Kind (D), Sensenbrenner (R)
Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
http://www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3095