The House of Representatives and the Senate are working behind the scenes on their respective versions of the fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) war supplemental bill; a senior House leader indicated that the bill might be on the House floor toward the end of April or the beginning of May. The primary purpose of the supplemental is the provision of funding for war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the supplemental also presents an opportunity to channel additional funds to science agencies in FY2008 since many Members of Congress are attempting to add non-defense, domestic funds to it.

Generally, Congress and the President use supplemental appropriations bills as funding vehicles to cover expenses for special or emergency needs that they didn’t anticipate and that arise after they have approved appropriations for a given fiscal year. Specifically, Congress may include funding for science in this year’s supplemental because last-minute negotiations between Congress and the White House over the final FY2008 omnibus appropriations bill in December left funding for many research agencies essentially flat after accounting for inflation and without new money to expand their research and education programs.

Accordingly, a broad coalition of scientific groups launched a grassroots effort last week to encourage the inclusion of science funding in the war supplemental and avert adverse impacts at key research agencies. As part of this grassroots effort, on April 8th, FASEB sent an alert to its society members, asking them to call their Senators and Representatives over a three day period to request science funds in the supplemental. Our data indicates that FASEB society members made thousands of calls to Congress. To view the alert and the background information associated therewith, please click here.

FASEB also signed onto three letters that the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, of which FASEB is a member, drafted requesting science funds in the supplemental. Last week, the Task Force sent the letters to the President as well as House and Senate leaders. Over 240 organizations, including private industry, educational institutions and nonprofits, signed on to the request. The Task Force letter to House leaders is available here.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Last week, FASEB President Robert E. Palazzo, Ph.D. sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI) to request funding for NIH, specifically, in the war supplemental. Dr. Palazzo asked Representative Obey to include $899 million for NIH, which is the amount that the FY2008 conference agreement (H.R. 3043) that the House and Senate originally passed provided for NIH over the amount NIH actually received from the final FY2008 omnibus.

You can view Dr. Palazzo’s letter here.

National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE)
Last month, a bipartisan group of senators wrote to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee to urge them to add $350 million for science programs to the supplemental spending bill. Specifically, the letter requests $250 million for DOE’s Office of Science and $100 million for NSF. Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which funds DOE’s Office of Science, spearheaded the letter. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN), both of Tennessee, home to DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, also signed the letter, as did Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-MA).

Likewise, Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL), Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Bob Inglis (R-SC), Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Ralph Hall (R-TX) cosponsored a “Dear Colleague” in the House to House leadership and appropriators. The letter requests science funds in the supplemental without specifying the amount and mentions cuts at NSF and DOE. Thirty-one Representatives cosigned the letter, which ended up with a roughly equal number of Democrat and Republican signatories. The House “Dear Colleague” is available here.