Supplemental Spending Bill Signed

The President signed the $186 billion supplemental spending bill which includes $338 million for science agencies in the US. Quick! What percentage of the total supplemental bill is that?! The majority of the money in the bill goes to you-know-where.

This is only a stop-gap measures that will prevent further layoffs at Fermilab and SLAC. The inherent problem not only in the budget, but in the fundamental philosophy of those in Congress hasn't changed. So there really isn't that many reasons to be optimistic at all.

Michael Lubell, a physicist at the City College of New York and APS director of public affairs, also points out that three key issues that physicists raised last December with budget makers remain “largely unaddressed”. These are cuts in funding for particle physics, the lack of support for national facilities, and the damage to America’s credibility as an international partner because of the decision to cut funds for ITER.

“Unless these issues are addressed some time in the next six months, the country will pay a heavy penalty,” said Lubell, who plans to continue lobbying over the 2009 budget.

Zz.