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News and updates

Republican Study Committee Releases Budget Proposal

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The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a group of 174 House Republicans “organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives,” has released a proposal containing an estimated $2.5 trillion (over 10 years) of spending cuts. It is expected that the package will be debated and voted on in the House before the current continuing resolution expires on March 4th. Items of particular note in the proposal include elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as elimination of Recovery Act funding that has yet to be allocated and applied research within the Department of Energy.

The proposal is only one of many circulating on the Hill right now, but provides some insight into how a significant portion of the House wishes to proceed on the budget.

RSC summary and list of programs targeted for elimination 

Dept. of Ed. Set to Release 2011-12 Pell Schedule

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The U.S. Department of Education has determined that it can establish the Pell Grant maximum for the 2011-12 academic year at $5,550 based on the Dec. 22, 2010, Continuing Resolution (CR) that expires on March 4. The agency plans to issue the 2011-12 Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules using the $5,550 maximum Pell (same level as current year) by February 1. If Congress extends the current CR without altering spending levels, the maximum Pell award would be $5,550 and the Pell Schedules issued before Feb. 1 would stand. If Congress alters Pell spending after the current CR expires, the maximum Pell award could change and Pell Schedules could need to be revised.

NSF Director Talks Budget

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Yesterday, during a session with the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), NSF Director Subra Suresh fielded questions from academic research advocates. Dr. Suresh stated that the National Science Foundation is closely monitoring budget discussions on Capitol Hill in order to chart a course for both FY11 and FY12. He expressed familiarity with the calls of some on the Hill to roll back federal spending to FY08 levels, stating that such a move would have a devastating impact on the agency. However, he mentioned that at this point, the agency views a rollback to FY08 as highly speculative and as a result is not actively planning for such an outcome.

Dr.Suresh fielded several questions on the impact of the ongoing continuing resolution on the NSF. He revealed that the agency is allowed to spend up to 50% of its previous years allocation, so as of right now, decisions on grant applications are not widely being held for the FY11 appropriations process to conclude. He also made a case for resisting calls by some to eliminate the Social and Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate.

Beyond budget, Dr. Suresh talked about his desire to incorporate many of the educational elements of the Education and Human Resources Directorate into the other NSF directorates. He also articulated a vision for streamlining the hiring of senior NSF officials and promoting diversity both within the agency and more broadly among the scientific community.

CNSF is an alliance of over 125 organizations (including the University of Washington) drawn together by a concern for the future vitality of the national science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise.

Federal Spending Cuts Planned

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House Republicans are still considering options for how best to keep their campaign promise to cut federal spending and the overall size of government. Today they will consider a resolution that would require the House Budget Committee Chairman to set FY11 non-security discretionary spending limits at FY08 levels. The full House expects to vote on the measure early next week. If approved, which is likely, the vote would put the chamber on record in support of cutting non-security discretionary spending before President Obama gives his State of the Union Address to Congress next Tuesday.

Once the House sets a new FY11 discretionary spending cap, House GOP appropriators will start assembling an extension of the stopgap resolution that is now funding the government, including cuts to non-security domestic spending. The current CR, which runs through March 4th, generally continues funding at FY10 levels. Since the Senate’s Democratic majority is unlikely to go along with the House proposals, the two chambers and the President will eventually need to strike an agreement on funding the government for the remainder of the year.

The House Republican leadership also needs to turn their attention to the upcoming vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and development of an FY12 budget resolution. While lowering non-security discretionary spending to FY08 levels would be a major victory for Republicans, it is clear that they intend to push for even deeper cuts for FY12. The House Majority Leader has stated that Republicans won’t agree to increase the nation’s debt ceiling without strong assurances of cuts in federal spending. The House Republicans will almost certainly use the debt ceiling vote as a bargaining chip to lock in an agreement with Democrats and the President on spending cuts for FY12 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the House unanimously passed the second of its weekly GOP bills to cut spending yesterday. The amended bill (HR 292) eliminates the requirement that the Government Printing Office (GPO) print hard copies of introduced legislation for use by members of the House and Senate. Instead, they would only be published in electronic form, saving a significant portion of the $7 million the GPO is expected to spend on congressional printing this year.

White House Oil Spill Commission Report Released

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Yesterday, the commission tasked by President Obama to examine the BP Deepwater Horizon undersea accident of last spring released its findings and recommendations. The commission addressed a range of topics from the need for increased regulation to funding for oil spill research to long-term restoration of the Gulf. 

Some of the ideas offered:

  • Create a distinct environmental science office within the Department of Interior;
  • Formalize the role of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in offering input on  environmental protection in Interior leasing decisions;
  • Assign responsibility for congressional oversight of drilling safety and environmental protection to one specific committee in each chamber and require annual oversight hearings;
  • Provide mandatory funding for oil spill research and response technology at a level equal to or greater than that authorized by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990;
  • Significantly increase the Oil Pollution Act’s liability cap and financial responsibility requirements for offshore facilities;
  • Dedicate 80% of any Clean Water Act penalties from the Deepwater Horizon spill to long-term restoration of the Gulf of Mexico; and
  • Along with federal agencies and responsible parties, take steps to restore consumer confidence in the aftermath of a significant spill.

It is expected that Congress will again try to assemble an oil spill bill. During the previous Congress, ideological differences over government regulation and the liability cap hampered efforts to pass a bill. Previous drafts have contained significant investments in research and development, and we will push for those provisions to remain in the mix going forward.