Biden backs science in his 2024 budget plan. But don ’t bank on those numbers

The 2024 spending plan President Joe Biden unveiled today continues his administration’s pattern of asking for large increases at major U.S. research agencies. But as with all presidential budgets, Biden’s $6.8 trillion request is simply the starting point for negotiations with Congress over everything from taxes to countering China’s growing economic and military might. And with Republicans vowing to reduce federal spending and the bipartisan support for bigger defense budgets, the prospects for any significant increases for science and other domestic programs remain uncertain at best. Despite that uncertainty, science advocacy groups welcomed the initial vote of confidence from the White House. “W e are pleased President Biden’s budget request prioritizes robust, sustained investment for key research programs,” says Laura Kolton, who leads the Science Coalition. At the same time, a leading Republican voice in Congress on science took issue with the president’s choices. “This budget proposal boasts about spending taxpayer dollars on international climate slush funds and vaguely defined environmental justice programs, while shortchanging the basic research that has been proven to advance our economy, lower energy prices, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Representative Frank Lucas (R–OK), chair of the science committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Several new science initiatives rank high ...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news