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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Review of the 2021 Federal Research and Development Budget Proposal

Original title: A REVIEW OF THE ADMINISTRATION'S FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021

January 1, 2021

federal budget research and development science policy STEM education energy research climate change NASA NSF

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The Frame

What this does

The budget proposal outlines federal funding priorities for scientific research, space exploration, and environmental programs, which directly impacts the scope of national scientific projects and the availability of education resources for the 2021 fiscal year.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Scientific Research Community

Researchers and institutions relying on federal grants face potential funding changes across multiple agencies including NSF, DOE, and NOAA.

STEM Students

Proposed changes to STEM education funding may alter the availability of resources and programs for students.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2021.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to review the Administration's proposed research and development () budget for Fiscal Year 2021. Committee leadership expressed significant concerns regarding proposed funding cuts to key scientific agencies and programs, despite the Administration's claims of increased investment.

Key Facts

The Administration's FY 2021 budget proposal represents a 9 percent cut to total R&D funding, according to the Committee Chairwoman.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) faces a 6.5 percent overall budget cut, with increases for AI and quantum science offset by cuts to other research areas and STEM education.
The Department of Energy (DOE) faces a proposed $4.5 billion cut to non-defense R&D programs.
The budget proposal includes the elimination of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program.
NASA's budget request includes an increase for human space exploration, funded in part by reductions in other science missions and STEM education.
The proposal includes cuts to atmospheric and ocean research at NOAA.
The proposal includes cuts to EPA assessment programs.
The hearing took place on February 27, 2020, in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the proposed budget increase funding for science and technology?

The Administration claims a 6 percent increase, but the Committee Chairwoman asserts that when compared to actual appropriations from the previous year, the proposal represents a 9 percent cut.

What happens to the ARPA-E program in this budget?

The Administration's proposal includes the elimination of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ().

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Budget Math Discrepancy

The Committee and the Administration utilize different baselines for calculating R&D budget increases, leading to a 15-percentage-point gap in how the budget's growth is characterized.

Office of Science and Technology Policy Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Connected Entities

organizationNOAA“National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration”Map →

personKelvin K. Droegemeier“Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)”Map →

organizationNASA“National Aeronautics and Space Administration”Map →

organizationEPA“Environmental Protection Agency”Map →

organizationDepartment of Energy“Federal department overseeing energy research”Map →

organizationARPA-E“Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy”Map →

personEddie Bernice Johnson“Chairwoman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”Map →

personFrank Lucas“Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”Map →

organizationNational Science Foundation“Federal agency for fundamental research”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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