Senate spending bills pump up science, but draw objections from Republicans
Earmarked projects chosen by lawmakers return after long absence
18 OCT 20216:30 PM BY SCIENCE NEWS STAFF
Health, climate, and defense research would all get major funding increases under spending bills released today by Democrats in the U.S. Senate. But key Republican senators are already warning they won’t support the spending plans unless Democrats agree to major changes.
The nine bills released today cover many of the federal government’s major research funding agencies. The Senate has already released four other annual appropriations bills that would fund the government’s work in the 2022 fiscal year that began on 1 October, including bills funding the energy and agriculture departments. (Agencies are currently operating under a continuing resolution that mostly freezes spending at this year’s levels until 3 December.) The House of Representatives in July released its proposed spending plans.
“These bills make important investments in our nation’s infrastructure, our environment, and the middle class, including historic increases to promote affordable housing, educate our nation’s children, combat climate change, and improve health care,” Senator Patrick Leahy (D–VT), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement, adding that he hoped the bills would “help advance the process” of reaching a final budget agreement.
But Senator Richard Shelby (R–AL), the top Republican on the panel, said Leahy’s “decision to unilaterally unveil partisan spending bills is a significant step in the wrong direction. … Their bills are filled with poison pills and problematic authorizing provisions. … If Democrats want full year appropriations bills, they must abandon their go-it-alone strategy and come to the table to negotiate.”
More:
https://www.science.org/content/article/senate-spending-bills-pump-science-draw-objections-republicans
