Impact of Insufficient Appropriations

While we reported [1] in December that Congressional Democrats had caved to President Bush's top-line appropriations number (while still attempting to fund their priorities [2]), some things were certainly underfunded. Case in point is the Argonne National Laboratory in Darien, IL. Darien Suburban Life [3] newspaper reports on the cutback [4]:

Argonne Director Robert Rosner said in a memo to staff last week the cuts stem from unexpected reductions in Washington brought about by the Congressional budget appropriations bill passed in December.

Argonne's news followed the announcement of similar cuts at Batavia-based Fermilab, which learned in late December it will have to lay off as many as 200 employees due to cuts.

Director Rosner went on to say he thought the cutbacks would have a negative effect on morale at the lab, but that they would prevail. I'm not sure how they are going to do more scientific research with fewer people and resources, but perhaps Director Rosner has some tricks up his sleeve.

I suspect similar cutbacks will happen at other national labs around the country, slowing the pace of scientific discovery and development of new technologies. Remember that the U.S. government has developed numerous things through scientific and technological research that have been extremely valuable to our society. Space blankets, penicillin, the internet, and velco are only a few examples. It's too bad our elected officials can't prioritize funding for these important investment.