House Appropriators Cut DOD Basic Research

House Appropriators, marking up the Department of Defense FY 1998 Appropriations bill (H.R. 2266) on July 22, made drastic reductions in the President’s request for basic research funding. DOD officials have expressed concern at the continual decline in the department’s technology base (see FYIs #49 , 58 .). According to a January 1997 National Academy report, DOD science and technology funding (excluding testing and evaluation) in FY 1997 is 11.1 percent below its FY 1994 level in constant dollars (see FYI #19 .)

Authorizers in both the House and the Senate provided, for DOD’s R&D categories, funding levels equal to or greater than the request (although the authorization bill still needs to come to final agreement in conference.) Senate appropriators also stayed close to the requested levels for the department’s R&D categories. The House Appropriations Committee, however, while increasing funds for “Exploratory Development,” dramatically decreased funds from the requested amounts for “Basic Research,” maintaining them only at the FY 1997 level. This action, if it remains in the final conference report, would significantly affect university research sponsored by the Defense Department. The bill is scheduled for debate on the House floor today.

The House (and Senate) Committees’ recommended appropriation levels are as follows:

(Basic Research corresponds with the DOD 6.1 category; Exploratory Development appears to correspond with DOD’s 6.2 category, Applied Research.)

The House Appropriations Committee report (H. Report 105-206) provides the following justification for its reduction to basic research:

“The Department of Defense requested over $1.1 billion for basic research in fiscal year 1998, an increase of over ten percent compared to the current fiscal year 1997 level. While the Committee supports the need for the Defense Department to conduct a robust basic university research program, in the context of the overall fiscal year 1998 defense budget such funding growth is unwarranted. In each of the services there are many programs that have long-standing yet unfulfilled warfighting requirements and which have successfully completed R&D, yet no production funds are requested in the budget ostensibly due to lack of funds.

“In addition, as in past years this year’s budget submission included large, unfunded shortfalls in defense medical programs, training and readiness accounts, and other programs such as munitions which have direct and immediate relevance to warfighting needs and the provision of an adequate quality of life for service members and their families. The Committee has provided additional funds in this bill to address these and other critical shortfalls. However the Committee questions whether never-ending budget growth in basic research is wise, particularly in the context of the Administration’s failure to adequately address the Defense Department’s weapon system modernization needs. In light of the Department’s proposed misallocation of resources, the Committee recommends reductions to basic research funding to maintain this program at the 1997 level.”

Future FYIs will provide details of the House floor debate on the DOD appropriations bill and list the House and Senate conferees when they are named.