Chris Mooney knows what he's talking about: The Push for Restarting the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment:
I'm starting to detect some buzz on this very important front, which I wrote about in detail in 2005's The Republican War on Science and elsewhere. Basically, the story is this: In 1995 the Gingrich Republicans, looking to slash budgets-and looking askance at science in general in many areas-got rid of their scientific advisory office, which had been in existence since 1972 and had become world renowned not only for accurate studies, but for far-ranging analyses that forecast future science and technology problems that we might someday have to grapple with. For our unfailingly presentist elected representatives, this was a vital source of perspective on where things are heading.....
Read the rest, then go here and sign the petition to bring the OTA back!