President’s plan would boost science, tech, R&D funding
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s proposal to invest $2 trillion in American infrastructure and climate change efforts also aims to reverse a more than decadelong decline in federal spending on science, research and development, and technology, as a proportion of the nation’s overall spending.
According to a rough outline of the spending plan provided by the White House this week, the proposal envisages the following (some of these amounts could be overlapping):
♦ $50 billion for the National Science Foundation, which “will focus on fields like semiconductors and advanced computing, advanced communications technology, advanced energy technologies, and biotechnology,” according to a White House document.
♦ $30 billion in research and development aimed at spurring jobs in rural areas.
♦ $40 billion to upgrade physical infrastructure of research labs in federal and university settings.
♦ $35 billion for clean energy projects in a “full range of solutions needed to achieve technology breakthroughs that address the climate crisis and position America as the global leader in clean energy technology and clean energy jobs,” according to the White House document.
♦ $15 billion for climate change-related demonstration projects.
♦ $50 billion for semiconductor research and manufacturing.
Biden is “calling on Congress to make smart investments in research and development, manufacturing and regional economic development, and in workforce development to give our workers and companies the tools and training they need to compete on
the global stage,” the White House said in a statement.
The overall plan would be spread over eight years and, if approved by Congress, would mark a significant reversal of the steady decline in U.S. government spending on science, research and technology.