Congress today takes on an omnibus continuing resolution spending bill for 9 out of the 11 appropriations for the current fiscal year.
The bill proposes to continue funding for agencies at the 2006 level, with all earmarks stripped out.
PS: I was wrong, House used earmark funding to bump a few programs, especially NSF and DoE.
NSF did really well.
NASA not so much.
On the one hand, this is sensible - it bypasses the trap left by previous Congress of dumping impossible draft appropriation bills on the new Congress part way into the financial year; and it cleans house by stripping out billions in earmarks.
On the other hand, it is potentially disastrous for science.
Science agencies, especially NSF, DoE and NASA were some of the few to get any increases under the proposed 2007 budget.
Some much beloved projects were also being kept alive through earmarks, like NASA's SIM.
Immediate likely impact, as I read the runes, is that the NASA Exploration side doesn't get the rampup it needs to get the Shuttle "replacement" built on schedule.
Expect NASA HQ to try to raid Science Missions further to keep the launcher development on schedule with the budgets cut. On the Science side, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one major mission cancellation, probably SIM I am sorry to say, and expect Earth-Sun missions to take a hit now as well.
DoE is probably looking at layoffs and facility shutdowns or mothballing.
NSF will have to cancel all new iniatives and major new starts, I guess the nano/quantum build up lasted even shorter time than previous new iniatives of this administration.
I expect AAS and APS will send out the budget analysis and impacts soon.
Anyone have any good news?
PS: so per correction above. NSF got a hunk of new money from funding freed up frome earmarks.
Including a boost for PI funding, sounds like it is across the board.
NASA is still cut - about half billion short. Nominally Science Directorate has an allocation,
but likely Exploration will start to reprogram that to keep the CEV on schedule.
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The good news is that we still get to keep the SIM memory sticks they gave out at the AAS meeting.
Actually I hear they want them back - they're going to see what they can get for them on eBay... Con-X also wants back the "Beyond Einstein" pens, those are now collectors' items.
I just looked--on my desk are a purple BEYOND EINSTEIN and a green Constellation-X pen. Having returned from the BE meeting in Newport Beach, I expect some news this week. All one really needs to solve "dark energy" is a good pen and imagination.
ALLAH'TAN BAŞKA kimsesi olmayan BEN