A first look at the debt agreement and US research

Science : To avert a potential government default, President Obama signed legislation to raise the US debt ceiling. The legislation includes a $917 billion cut to discretionary spending over the next decade. Some aspects of the agreement, however, may work in favor of science research. Whereas federally funded research is essentially frozen for 2 years, there will be annual increases of $20 billion to $25 billion over the next 10 years thereafter, writes Jeffrey Mervis for Science. Also, the new limit on discretionary spending is $24 billion higher than that approved earlier this year by the House of Representatives. Thus, funding may be reconsidered for programs facing deep cuts or termination. And finally, the annual budget resolution provides a blueprint for legislators and allows the appropriations process to begin; last year the Senate didn’t pass a budget resolution, which resulted in six months of inaction and delayed disbursement of funds to federal agencies. The legislation could serve as a “super” budget resolution for 2012, preventing such a stalemate from recurring.