3 November 1999 The Honorable William J. Clinton Dear Mr. President: On behalf of the IEEE-USA, an organization of 240,000 electrical, electronics and computer engineers and allied scientists, I am writing to urge you to support a strong federal research and development program in the fiscal year 2001 budget currently being drafted. The need for a strong and balanced federal R&D portfolio is vitally important in order for the United States to maintain its leadership role and assure that today’s economic prosperity will be sustained for future generations. I commend your support of R&D in past fiscal year proposals but remain concerned that the proposed increases for the federal R&D enterprise seem to be based on uncertain economic assumptions. Without a stable and healthy commitment to the broad range of the federal R&D programs, this critical activity will suffer and lead to very negative impacts to the economy and public wellbeing. Investment in research and development has proven itself to be a revenue generator, not an expense. Economists have credited, in large part, the current economic growth to the explosion in information technology and technology. The unprecedented economic growth the country has enjoyed during your administration is the direct outgrowth of research funded by the federal government over the past few decades. It has been estimated that federally funded advances in civilian and defense technology are responsible for over fifty percent of the economic growth of the U.S. over the past fifty years. We are concerned that if the investments are reduced, or made in a patch work fashion, the outlook for continued growth and prosperity of future generations will be jeopardized. Many proposals to strengthen the federal R&D enterprise have been made by policy makers on both sides of the aisle, from doubling R&D funding over five years to doubling civilian R&D over ten years. We challenge you to propose a FY2001 budget based on sound accounting principles that will provide a strong and balanced federal R&D program to ensure future generations the prosperity that we enjoy today. Sincerely, Paul Kostek
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
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