Scientific Research Has Suffered During The Bush Years

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"I think there's a loss of American power and prestige that came about as a result of our anti-science policies," said biologist David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate and the chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Last week a panel discussion at the first World Science Foundation in New York told the stakes for United States in the field of medical research. The past five years has seen the level of funding freeze up to a point that if you calculated the population that relies on that research in a dollar sense funding is down to less than 10 bucks a head. The scientists are worried that the candidates have yet to add campaign promises for the science community after an era were funding has been decreased.

Last spring the American Association for the Advancement of Science concluded that five years of budgets that were reduced has pushed the United States further behind in biomedical research. Last week the Senate voted to add $400 billion for research to the 2009 budget presented by President Bush. That is $200 less than was budgeted for 2007 or 2008. Still that is better than what Bush had wanted to spend. That figure was zero.

Reduced funding has a huge cost in the long run.

The report, issued by the agency's Subcommittee on Science and Technology in January, said that the F.D.A. "cannot fulfill its mission" in part "because its scientific workforce does not have sufficient capacity and capability."

The lack of funding for the national agency that regulates virtually all of the food and medicines the American public consumes has a budget that broken down equals to about $7.50 per citizen.

The budget of $2.4 billion budget does not even cover the salary increases for the department. Part of that budget includes the user fees that are paid by drug companies asking for FDA approval of new drugs.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach had to ask Congress for a raise to his budget of $275 million over what Bush asked for. Von Eschenbach may be Bush's political appointee but that hasn't helped when it comes time for funding.

Earlier, von Eschenbach faced a maelstrom of criticism of the administration's meager budget increase. He sent the request and detailed plan for spending it to Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who had asked von Eschenbach provide him with this information "to protect the public health."

According to The New York Times, Specter added in a handwritten note in the letter's margins: "Andy, I know the situation is extreme. I want to get you financial help now."

The next person residing in the White House will have the task of rebuilding the United States scientific community. Without the funding breakthroughs can not take place that will benefit its citizens and the world at large.