FROM THE ARCHIVES: Economic Recovery Legislation Enacted; Science Fares Very Well (February 23, 2009)
In celebration of COSSA’s 40th anniversary, we are diving into the decades of Washington Update archives to share articles from years past that resonate with today’s news.
On February 17, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Package). After weeks of negotiations among the White House, the Congress, and three key Republican Senators, the legislation emerged with the hope that it will help the American economy recuperate from its current illness. Within its many provisions are significant amounts of funding for science activities.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will receive $3 billion. This is the number from the House version and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) advocated strongly on behalf of NSF to her Senate colleagues, who wanted NSF to get only $1.4 billion. […] With Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) as one of the three Senators key to the enactment of the package, it is no surprise that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) became one of the big winners in the legislation. Specter ensured the inclusion of $10 billion for NIH.[…]