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Congress approves largest U.S. research spending increase in a decade
Democrats managed some good news in the budget deal. Hopefully it's a sign that, with elections coming, Republicans are backing off of hard-line majoritarianism.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/updated-us-spending-deal-contains-largest-research-spending-increase-decade
The Senate last night approved a $1.3 trillion spending package that largely rejects deep cuts to research agencies proposed by President Donald Trump and, in many cases, provides substantial increases. The House of Representatives approved the deal earlier this week, and it now goes to Trump for his signature.
When it comes to federal research spending, there are “some silly good numbers in here,” tweeted Matt Hourihan, who analyzes U.S. science spending patterns for AAAS (publisher of ScienceInsider) in Washington, D.C., when the deal was released this past Wednesday.
In an analysis, Hourihan and his colleague David Parkes note that the research spending increase is the largest in more than a decade. They estimate R&D spending in 2018 will reach “$176.8 billion, an increase of 12.8% or $20.1 billion above FY 2017 estimated R&D. … [T]otal federal R&D spending would reach its highest point ever in inflation-adjusted dollars. … Basic and applied research funding would receive its largest year-over-year increase since” the 2009 economic stimulus package.
The increases were made possible, in large part, by an agreement reached earlier this year to raise mandatory caps on civilian and military spending that gave lawmakers an additional $300 billion to spend this year and next.
When it comes to federal research spending, there are “some silly good numbers in here,” tweeted Matt Hourihan, who analyzes U.S. science spending patterns for AAAS (publisher of ScienceInsider) in Washington, D.C., when the deal was released this past Wednesday.
In an analysis, Hourihan and his colleague David Parkes note that the research spending increase is the largest in more than a decade. They estimate R&D spending in 2018 will reach “$176.8 billion, an increase of 12.8% or $20.1 billion above FY 2017 estimated R&D. … [T]otal federal R&D spending would reach its highest point ever in inflation-adjusted dollars. … Basic and applied research funding would receive its largest year-over-year increase since” the 2009 economic stimulus package.
The increases were made possible, in large part, by an agreement reached earlier this year to raise mandatory caps on civilian and military spending that gave lawmakers an additional $300 billion to spend this year and next.
