Views & Estimates :: March 7, 2005

Bipartisan Views and Estimates on the Budget for Civilian Science and Technology Programs, Fiscal Year 2006

As the House and Senate begin consideration of the President's Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) budget request, there is no question that a great deal of debate will revolve around the budget deficit and its impact on the long-term economic health of the Nation. As these discussions move forward, the Science Committee urges Congress to recognize the importance and contributions of science and technology to productivity and economic growth - and consequently - fiscal security.

Indeed, nothing benefits federal revenues over the long-term as much as accelerated economic growth, and nothing fuels long-term growth more than science and technology. Further, the strength of the U.S. scientific enterprise has long been a crucial component of America's national security. Advancements in science and technology were critical to the nation's ability to triumph in the Cold War. (Indeed, Cold War-era investments in science and technology, especially those made in the wake of the Soviet launch of Sputnik, laid much of the foundation for the broad, successful scientific and engineering enterprise the U.S. boasts today.) New ideas, understandings and technologies spawned by research and development are just as essential to winning the war against terrorism.