Funding for the America COMPETES Act (HR 2272) failed to make it into the final omnibus budget bill for FY 2008, despite bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

"At a time when the rest of the world is increasing its emphasis on math and science education... and increasing their budgets for basic engineering and physical science research, Congress is telling the world these areas are not important to our future," said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett in a San Francisco Chronicle editorial. "What do we elect our political leaders for if not to protect our long-term future?"

The COMPETES Act, which the president signed in August 2007, was intended to provide a significant boost to science and technology spending in California. It responded to concerns raised by the National Academies in the 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which warned that the United States needed to invest significantly in science and technology if it was to maintain its technological and economic preeminence. The report prompted responses at the federal and state level (CCST prepared an action plan for California at the request of the Governor's office in 2006), and widespread support throughout Congress. The Act would have doubled funding for the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation by 2011. Instead, Department of Energy funding is up only 2.6 percent for fiscal year 2008, and funding for the National Science Foundation is up only 2.5 percent; both of these increases fall short of keeping up with inflation.

The final budget has been criticized by many in the science and technology community, including the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, a coalition of businesses and business organizations, scientific societies, and higher education associations. "The FY08 omnibus appropriations bill that Congress is considering represents a step backwards for the bipartisan innovation agenda," the Task Force said in a recent statement. "The President and Congress, for all their stated support this year for making basic research in the physical sciences and engineering a top budget priority ended up essentially cutting, or flat-funding, key science agencies after accounting for inflation. The nations that seek to challenge our global leadership in science and innovation should be greatly encouraged by this legislation." The Association of American Universities released a similar statement, saying that "In exchange for an arbitrary cap on domestic spending and thousands of earmarks, the Administration and Congress have sacrificed investments in research and education that would help assure our nation's long-term national and economic security."

One of the federal laboratories hardest hit by the Department of Energy budget shortfall is the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC).

"An impasse between the White House and the Congress over funding for the Iraq war and overall spending levels led to a continuing resolution for the first 3 months of the new fiscal year (October - December 2007). When the final omnibus budget bill was finally passed into law, it contained only a very small increase to the DOE Office of Science for FY2008," said Persis Drell, director of SLAC.

The High Energy Physics Division of DOE, which funds particle accelerator research, was particularly hard hit, forcing the layoffs at SLAC and an Illinois facility. The programs affected at SLAC include the International Linear Collider (ILC) R&D and the B-factory operations.

"The appropriated budget cut funding nationally to the ILC program by 75%. Since this happened in December - which is 25% of the way through the fiscal year which started on October 1 - the money allocated to ILC R&D in the U.S. has all already been spent," said Persis.

SLAC anticipates laying off an estimated 125 workers.

"We will emerge from this challenging year with a scientific program at the laboratory that is refocused to align with new funding realities," said Persis.