Dollars for Antiterrorism R&D
The attacks of September 11, 2001, prompted calls for large increases in government spending on counterterrorism research. Apparently, Congress and the Bush administration were listening. The three agencies listed here are slated for the biggest boosts in research and development funding in fiscal year 2003, with much of the new money going toward better technology for thwarting and responding to terrorist attacks.
Of the three, the Department of Defense comes out on top. It will see an additional $9.1 billion appropriated for R&D over last year’s $49.6 billion. The 18.4 percent increase is the largest the department has ever seen.
| R&D Budget (in millions of dollars) | ||||
| Department | FY 2002 Budget Estimate | FY 2003 President Bush’s requested budget | FY 2003 Senate approved budget | FY 2003 House approved budget |
| Defense | 49,616 | 54,460 | 58,764 | 58,764 |
| Health and Human Services | 23,950 | 27,385 | 27,578 | NA3 |
| Homeland Security | 0 | 7992 | NA3 | NA3 |
| 1. Appropriations signed into law on October 23, 2002. 2. Estimated by American Association for the Advancement of Science. 3. Not available: at press time, Congress had not passed final appropriations bills for these agencies. SOURCE: American Association for the Advancement of Science. |