Biden ’s lean science budget could mean tough choices for agencies

President Joe Biden today sent the U.S. Congress a $7.3 trillion spending blueprint that includes his priorities for research . But in an era of flat budgets, being on the White House’s priority list—which ranges from promoting the ethical use of artificial intelligence to finding a cure for cancer—may not mean getting more money. That’s the hard reality facing U.S. scientists as they pore over Biden’s budget request for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October. With the slice of the U.S. budget that funds domestic research essentially capped under an earlier budget agreement with Republicans, Biden’s proposed $201 billion investment in research is only 1% larger than what was spent in the fiscal year ending in September 2023. And it’s a far cry from what key research agencies were promised in the landmark 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to revive the sagging U.S. semiconductor industry. And for some agencies, the 2025 request comes on the heels of significant cuts to their 2024 budgets that Congress imposed just last week to avert a partial government shutdown. “While the [Biden] administration calls for increased funding for federal research agencies relative to enacted levels, the request is a retreat from the bold vision outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act,” says Mark Becker, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. “Lawmakers have failed to meet their targeted investments in research and d...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news