A Budgetary Storm Is Brewing; February 1995; Scientific American Magazine; by Beardsley; 1 Page(s)

Prospects for federal research and development are up in the air as Republicans looking for budget cuts take control on Capitol Hill. Although it is too early to say where the chips will fall, clear signs indicate that science and technology will not be spared in the housecleaning.

Before last November's elections, Republican staff of the House Budget Committee startled science watchers by publishing a series of draconian possible cuts. The list included abolishing the U. S. Geological Survey and the National Biological Survey as well as limiting the annual growth of the National Science Foundation to 1 percent less than the rate of inflation, which is now 2.7 percent. The Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology-- which in recent years has become the centerpiece of the administration 's technology development efforts--was also targeted.