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12 / IMPROVING THE ALLOCATION PROCESS 



• Do programs recognize the importance of innovative and creative yet high- 

 risk projects, interdisciplinary projects, and support for young scientists or engi- 

 neers? 



• Have trade-offs been made, cutting inferior or outmoded programs or divi- 

 sions to reduce budgets and to enable new initiatives? 



• Is the agency maintaining the infrastructure for research and development 

 important to fulfilling its mission? Do decision makers recognize the importance of 

 projects that both conduct research and train scientists and engineers? 



• Does the allocation process fund the best performers equitably? Does it 

 allow for the aspirations of institutions to improve their ability to compete and 

 contribute nationally? 



• Do reallocation decisions among classes of performers maintain a critical 

 mass of expertise in federal agencies for effective priority setting, procurement, and 

 public oversight? 



RECOMMENDATION 3. Congress should create a process that 

 examines the entire FS&T budget before the total federal budget 

 is disaggregated into allocations to appropriations conunittees 

 and subcommittees. 



Decisions to allocate public funds are the prerogative of elected officials. The 

 committee understands that members of Congress must address national needs but 

 also represent the interests of constituents in their states or districts. In a time of 

 severe fiscal constraints, public officials must decide among the many demands for 

 government funds. The committee believes that the FS&T budget deser\'es special 

 care because of its importance to the future of the country' and because of the inter- 

 dependence of its parts. Thus, the committee recommends that the FS&T budget be 

 presented as a comprehensive whole in the President s budget and similarly consid- 

 ered as a whole at the beginning of the congressional budget process before the 

 total federal budget is disaggregated and sent to the appropriations committees and 

 subcommittees (see Box 1.3 for a description of how the process might work). The 

 committee recognizes that FS&T needs will be only one determinant of appropria- 

 tions subcommittee allocations, but failure to take FS&T needs into account in 

 advance risks harming the innovative enterprise that is key to the nation's future. 

 Within the FS&T budget, it is crucial to be able to make trade-offs among agencies, 

 programs, and performers in order to allow for new initiatives with funds freed by 

 reducing or closing projects no longer needed or of insufficient quality. 



The budget committees in both houses of Congress should take FS&T needs 

 into account in the relevant budget function categories, such as defense, health, 

 space, energy, agriculture, and general science. Budget resolutions do not deter- 

 mine appropriations decisions, however, but only set overall caps.'' The appropria- 

 tions committees therefore also must assess FS&T needs, both before and after 

 deciding allocations to subcommittees, and when considering specific line items 

 within agencies. Further, the subcommittees should consider research and develop- 



