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14 / IMPROVING THE ALLOCATION PROCESS 



• Are there problems or opportunities identified by Congress that are not 

 adequately accommodated in the President's FS&T budget? 



Questions for Authorization Committees and Appropriations 

 Subcommittees to Consider 



• Do the priorities of the authorization committee or appropriations subcom- 

 mittee agree with those of the budget committee? 



• Does the authorization committee or appropriations subcommittee agree 

 with the programs and allocations proposed for the agencies under its jurisdiction? 



• Have the committees or subcommittees identified research areas, fields, or 

 enabling technologies that are neglected or overfunded in the President's budget? 



• Are items added to the FS&T budget by Congress intended to meet an 

 important national need? Can the designated recipient institution make a national 

 or regional contribution? Is the funding subject to external merit review? Has the 

 item been aired in open hearings? Does it displace other FS&T investments of 

 higher national priorirj'? 



• Will changes made by the committee or subcommittee have an impact on 

 research and development programs outside its jurisdiction, and. if so, have they 

 been taken into account? 



Considering the FS&T budget as a coherent whole can improve the allocation 

 process but cannot eliminate conflicts among agencies, among congressional com- 

 mittees and subcommittees, between the Senate and the House of Representatives, 

 and between the executive and legislative branches. Such conflict is a part of the 

 decentralized system of checks and balances in the U.S. federal system. The commit- 

 tee believes, however, that implementing Recommendations 1 through 3 will im- 

 prove the budget process, better focusing the nation's public investment in research 

 and development on the most important and promising opportunities. 



The United States Should Strive to Continue as the World Leader 

 in Science and Technology. 

 (Recommendations 4 and 5) 



RECOMMENDATION 4. The President and Congress should 

 ensure that the FS&T budget is sufficient to allow the United 

 States to achieve preeminence in a select number of fields and to 

 perform at a world-class level in the other major fields.* 



The pool of approximately $35 billion to $40 billion in annual public support 

 for FS&T is large and diverse. The committee believes that it is possible within that 

 budget to reduce some programs, eliminate others, increase support of high-oppor- 

 tunir\- fields, and restrain federal spending — all while maintaining our nation's 

 tradition of excellence in science and technology. To continue as a world leader. 



