Senate, House at odds on '94 research budgets

As federal fiscal-year 1993 draws to a close this week, agreement is lacking among the Clinton Administration, Senate, and House as to how much money three federal science agencies will receive in fiscal 1994. Nor, as of C&EN press time, is there a consensus on how that money will be spent. Last week, the Senate approved funds for the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. These funds are provided under the appropriation bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Housing & Urban Development, and independent agencies. However, the Senate version of the bill differs substantially from that approved by the House and from what the Administration originally sought for these agencies. This divergence is most evident in what has happened to NSF's research and related activities budget, which provides the money for individual investigators, research centers, and major research equipment. The Administration sought to in...