John Holdren Comments on the Proposed US R&D Budget. (March 4, 2010)

In an opinion piece published in the Arlington, Virginia based Politico which focuses on covering the US Congress, Washington lobbying, and the US Presidency, presidential science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, John Holdren gives his take on President Barack Obama's "Science Budget and the Future".

A couple of excerpts:

President Barack Obama understands the importance of the leadership role the federal government must play in nurturing the science and engineering capabilities needed to meet the challenges before us. That is why his recently released budget for fiscal year 2011 provides continued strong, strategic investments in this area, despite the overall budget austerity that our country’s fiscal circumstances require. Now we need Congress to match the president’s leadership, so that this budget’s vision for investing in science, engineering, innovation and education becomes a reality.

Even within a tight budget, the president is proposing a 6.4 percent increase for civilian research and development above the 2010 funding level, along with a substantial increase for basic research in the Department of Defense. These increases are counterbalanced by reduced funding for development — the “D” in R&D — in the Defense Department...

Speaking at the National Academy of Sciences last April, the president chided those who argue that America cannot afford to spend boldly on science and technology in a time of economic difficulty. “Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been before,” he said. He was right then, and he is right now...