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Article: Congress sets national priorities and NIST isn't one of them.
- Article from:
- Manufacturing & Technology News
- Article date:
- December 5, 2003
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The U.S. Congress does not care much about government programs aimed at improving the U.S technological industrial infrastructure. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is one of the only federal agencies whose budget will decline as a result of congressional appropriations bills completed behind closed doors in late November.
NIST's overall budget will tumble by 12 percent or $81 million in 2004 to $624.4 million, down from $707.5 million in 2003. Its scientific and technical laboratories will experience a budget cut of 4.3 percent ($15.2 million) to $352 million, far less than the $382 million requested by the Bush administration.
Congress ...