Building Careers and Shaping Public Policy

02 February 2005

The Honorable Judd Gregg
Chair, Budget Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Chairman:

On behalf of the more than 225,000 technology professionals who are U.S. members of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, I urge the Bush Administration and Congress to renew its commitment to strong support for federally funded research through the National Science Foundation.

In December of 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Investing in America's Future Act (Public Law 107-368). This legislation, which had broad bipartisan support, authorized 15 percent annual increases at the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the period 2003-2005, which should have put the agency on track to double its budget in five years. Unfortunately, the actual appropriated levels since that bill was signed have fallen far below the authorized levels. In fact, the budget for FY2005 is $1.9 billion below the levels called for in the Investing in America's Future Act, and is $272 million below the levels requested in the President's FY 2005 budget request.

We fully support the administration's R&D budget priorities as stated in Dr. Marburger's memo to federal departments and agencies dated August 12, 2004. The interagency R&D priorities include homeland security R&D, networking and information technology R&D, national nanotechnology initiative, priorities in the physical sciences, biology of complex systems, and climate/water/hydrogen R&D. To the benefit of all Americans, The National Science Foundation funds cutting-edge research in all of these high priority research areas. NSF investments support our economy by advancing the engineering sciences that fuel innovation, and help to develop the nation's technological workforce. It is important to restore much-needed balance to federal funding of engineering and the physical sciences, which have begun to lag dangerously behind federal investments in life science related research.

As the name of the America's Future Act indicates, funding for the National Science Foundation is indeed an investment in America's future. We strongly encourage the Congress and Administration to make a commitment for a robust NSF and allocate funding at levels more consistent with those authorized in Public Law 107-368.

Thank you for your consideration. For more information, please contact Bill Williams at (202) 530-8331 or at bill.williams@ieee.org.

Sincerely,

Gerard A. Alphonse
President, IEEE-USA

(Sent to House/Senate Leaders, House/Senate Budget Committees)