A modest proposal for federal science spending
President's FY 2011 budget plan outlines 5.9 percent increase in nondefense R&D
By Science News
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Given the economy, federal research agencies seemed pleased that the Obama administration plans on giving to science. The president’s budget for fiscal 2011, released February 1, proposes $147.7 billion for federal research and development. Of that, nondefense-related funding would be $66 billion, a 5.9 percent increase over 2010 levels. Some programs, such as the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility and NASA’s Constellation program, met an early death. Most agencies saw modest increases.