The Scientist : NewsBlog Print: Science scores in 2010 US budget
The Scientist: NewsBlog:
Science scores in 2010 US budget
Posted by Bob Grant
[Entry posted at 7th May 2009 10:29 PM GMT]

Overall, federal science fares well in President Barack Obama's recently announced FY2010 budget, but the National Institutes of Health would net a pretty paltry increase under the president's plan. In the proposal, the NIH stands to get slightly more than $30.8 billion in 2010. This would represent a $443 million, or 1.5%, bump over the NIH's 2009 budget.

Kathleen Sebelius, our newly crowned Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, delivered the news at a press conference today.

When asked by a reporter with Nature how that rather slim funding increase would play out when measured against the $10.4 billion the NIH got in the stimulus package, Sebelius said that the issue would become important...later.

"It's clear that we need to start foreshadowing what's going to happen in FY2011," Sebelius said. The NIH must spend all that stimulus cash in two years, and has just received its first avalanche of grant applications in hopes of getting $200 million in "Challenge Grant" money out the door by the end of FY2010. "We certainly need to begin working on what happens in 2011 and 2012," Sebelius, flanked by several directors and acting directors of HHS agencies, added.

Other science agencies make out a little better than the NIH in Obama's 2010 budget proposal. The Food and Drug Administration would get $511 million, its largest increase ever, under the president's plan. The Centers for Disease Control would get about $6.4 billion in 2010. The Department of Energy's Office of Science would get about $1.6 billion. And the National Science Foundation would get a whopping 16% increase with a $7 billion 2010 budget. The $3.6 trillion budget now moves on to Congress, where legislators will debate its finer points, make revisions, and return it to the president.

Correction (May 12): The figure given for CDC's proposed 2010 budget in the original version of this story was incorrect. The figure has been changed to reflect correct amount indicated in the president's budget. The Scientist regrets the error.


Related stories:
  • Life science scores in 2010 budget
    [26th February 2009]
  • New NIH head talks budget, priorities
    [10th November 2008]

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    Re: CDC Gets $3 billion in 2010????
    by Karl Moeller

    [Comment posted 2009-05-13 15:05:46]
    Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Grant. We keep a chart similar to the one you've linked to - but it dates back to 2005. You might find it of interest:

    LINK

    We also have some inflation numbers that help put it all into perspective. If you want, I'd be happy to discuss...

    Best,
    KBM



    Re: CDC Gets $3 billion in 2010????
    by Bob Grant

    [Comment posted 2009-05-12 15:13:32]
    Thanks very much for your comment, Mr. Moeller.

    You are correct. The president's FY 2010 budget devotes much more than $3 billion to discretionary programs at the CDC. The actual number is $6,389,000,000. This represents a $32 million increase over the FY 2009 amount.

    You can see the complete breakdown of all the HHS numbers at this URL - LINK

    Thanks again,

    Bob Grant


    CDC Gets $3 billion in 2010????
    by Karl Moeller

    [Comment posted 2009-05-12 09:32:30]
    Could you explain this number in more detail? It doesn't sound right to me. I just don't see those numbers in the President's Budget. Unless you are counting the emergency supplemental flu funding...? And maybe adding in ARRA funds, too? I don't think you are, as you said "in 2010."

    By my calculations, CDC's core discretionary programs are getting about $29 million more in 2010 over 2009. ATSDR is getting $2.7 million more, and the mandatory Vaccines for Children program is getting about $550 million more - but that doesn't add up to $3 billion in 2010.


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