Durbin, Foster, Emanuel, Biggert Announce $250 Million for Science Funding Included in Supplemental Spending Bill

May 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today announced that by a vote of 75-22 the US Senate passed the domestic funding portion of the emergency supplemental bill that includes an amendment to fund critical science programs administered by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Fermilab control room: Photo by WBEZ Chicago Public Radio (CC)

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The amendment provides $100 million for the Office of Science to ensure that Fermilab and other scientific facilities are able to continue their research and retain staff and $150 million for the NSF to continue critical research. A portion of that $150 million funding will benefit both Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratories.

“Today a veto-proof majority of the Senate decided to restore science funding that the Administration should never have cut,” said Durbin. “I will work with Representatives Emanuel and Foster to see that Congress continues to support the critical research at Fermi, Argonne and labs across the country.”

“I am proud to join Senator Durbin as we fight to obtain funding for Fermilab. The bill’s passage in the Senate is a wonderful step forward for our nation’s science programs but I expect that we still have a tough fight ahead. I strongly urge the House and Senate leadership to include this essential funding in the conference report.” Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14)

“To stay competitive, America must continue to lead the way in science and technology innovation,” said Emanuel. “This Congress is standing up for science by restoring funding and preserving jobs and research that will keep hard working Americans on the cutting edge.”

Fermilab is the nation’s premier high-energy physics laboratory. The laboratory leads U.S. research into the fundamental nature of matter and energy, and in 2007, Fermilab’s researchers and facilities achieved results judged by the American Institute of Physics as among the Ten Top Physics Stories from around the world. Argonne National Laboratory is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest research centers. It is also the nation's first national laboratory which houses basic and applied scientific research across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology.

The bill will now be sent to the House for a final vote before being sent to the President for his signature. If the President decides to veto the bill, it will be sent back to the Senate where there are enough votes to override the veto.

Source: Senator Dick Durbin