Several news sources said the House proposed to cut the NIH budget by more than $1 billion, to $29.5 billion. However, the spending bill went through myriad amendments before being passed early Saturday morning, and these news sources are older than that. - Ruchira S. Datta

This Nature blogpost from earlier this week: http://blogs.nature.com/news... said " The cuts amount to $1.629 billion from the 2010 NIH budget and $359.5 million from NSF." and "- $2859.4 million (-29%) for the Environmental Protection Agency - $1397.4 million (-22%) for the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionn - $893.2 million (-18%) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science - $159.5 million (-18%) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology - $303 million (-2%) for NASA" - Ruchira S. Datta

This Nature blogpost from yesterday after the bill passed: http://blogs.nature.com/news... says "It includes a nearly $300 million additional cut for NASA and over $500 million in additional cuts for science and technology under the Department of Homeland Security." - Ruchira S. Datta

Yesterday's Nature blogpost links to a series of amendments related to science funding. - Ruchira S. Datta

6. H.AMDT.16 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 2 printed in the Congresssional Record to reduce Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Navy by $ 225,000,000, reduce Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Air Force by $225,000,000 and increase Defense by $450,000,000. - Ruchira S. Datta

17. H.AMDT.27 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 125 printed in the Congressional Record to increase the Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services by $298,000,000 and reducing the NASA by $298,000,000. - Ruchira S. Datta

28. H.AMDT.38 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 223 printed in the Congressional Record to increase funding for Firefighter Assistance Grants by $510 million offset by a reduction in funding for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology R&D by the same amount. - Ruchira S. Datta

37. H.AMDT.47 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 84 printed in the Congressional Record to reduce the Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Programs and Management account by $8,458,000. - Ruchira S. Datta

38. H.AMDT.48 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 379 printed in the Congressional Record to reduce by $10,000,000 the Environmental Protection Agency, State and Tribal Assistance Grants account. - Ruchira S. Datta

89. H.AMDT.99 to H.R.1 An amendment numbered 23 printed in the Congressional Record to eliminate reductions in funds for NIH, CDC and HRSA. - Ruchira S. Datta

However, this last amendment is very confusing. - Ruchira S. Datta

The Nature blogpost included the following correction about this amendment: "CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog incorrectly stated that an amendment to the bill introduced by representative Alcee Hastings of Florida eliminated the spending cuts proposed for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The proposed spending cuts to those agencies have not been eliminated from the bill. The amendment - which was passed - reallocates $14 million each from NIH, CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which helps cover the cost of drugs and services for people living with HIV/AIDS." - Ruchira S. Datta

So, I think this means the House bill eliminates $1.643B from NIH, $373.5M from NSF, $1.411B from CDC, $601M from NASA, the rest of science funding as in the first Nature blogpost. - Ruchira S. Datta

My Rep, John Garamendi, is quoted in the news as saying "It's a whole lot of craziness, actually." http://www.sacbee.com/2011... - Ruchira S. Datta

Rep Brian Higgins and Rep. Ed Markey apparently tried to introduce an amendment restoring funding to NIH, but their amendment wasn't even allowed to get to the House floor for a vote. http://downtown.wgrz.com/news... - Ruchira S. Datta

Can't you just get all your research sponsored by the Pentagon or Exxon or Pfizer or somethign? - Jim Norris

I think I would have problems with all those. - Ruchira S. Datta

I hear the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, the Cato Institute, the Reason Foundation, the Mercatus Center, and plenty of others are eager to provide funding to willing scientists these days. - Jim Norris

I wonder if those organizations can provide the level of funding that the NIH or the Pentagon, Exxon, or Pfizer can provide. - Victor Ganata

Victor, I suspect Jim knows I would have problems with all those too (although perhaps I'm misreading him). - Ruchira S. Datta

Jim, I didn't know that, but I suppose that it's consistent with their philosophy that the NIH should not exist. Like Victor, I do not think that would scale. Also, the people at the NIH deciding on what gets funded are scientists. I don't know to what extent that's the case at these think tanks, etc., and even if it is, their membership explicitly indicates certain political views. - Ruchira S. Datta

Jim, for instance, if my research had anything to do with climate change I wouldn't feel like applying since they are interested in denying it or minimizing the seriousness, irrespective of what scientists think. - Ruchira S. Datta

I have been thinking for a while that when I become a professor I will have a donation button on my lab webpage so the libertarians can prove me wrong about whether long-term research can be sustained exclusively through private funding. Actually the case of a single investigator would still not yield a proof, since some research is inherently more difficult to explain, yet not necessarily any less valuable. - Ruchira S. Datta

Why should there be left-liberal research-supporting foundations when they can just coerce taxpayers into paying for it? - Kevin L

Why should science funding be ideologically driven? - Victor Ganata

I wasn't the one who brought up the ideological connections of the private firms mentioned. - Kevin L

And besides, someone's endorsement of government support of research "explicitly indicates certain political views" - Kevin L

You sure about that? I'm sure there are conservative scientists and engineers who don't have too many qualms about accepting DOE or DOD dollars. - Victor Ganata