Promising Year Ends Badly After Fiscal Showdown Squeezes Science.

UNITED States federal budget; SCIENCE; PUBLIC expenditure forecasting; PHYSICAL sciences research; BUSH, George W. (George Walker), 1946-; UNITED States. Congress; LEGISLATIVE bills; NATIONAL Science Foundation (U.S.); MOLLOHAN, Alan; ECONOMICS

The article focuses on the reduction in spending package for the physical sciences, approved by the 2008 federal budget of the U.S. It reports several happenings in the year 2007 regarding the substantial increase in the science expenditure which include the request made by president George W. Bush to increase the physical sciences budget and the approval for the higher spending levels for research in the America COMPETES Act. It mentions the disapproval of the U.S. Congress for the increase and states that the ominous spending bill (HR 2764) is much smaller than the expected budgetary figures. It discusses the percentage of funds allotted to several agencies including the National Science Foundation. It also presents views of several legislators including Alan Mollohan, on the budget.