President Obama’s Budget Requests for Education and Related Research

On February 13, President Obama sent his budget plan to Congress. In the days following, each federal agency held briefings with interested members of the public, primarily representatives of associations, to explain and justify the requests.

In his budget request for FY2013, the president once again affirmed his commitment to investments in education and research. Despite poor economic conditions and mounting concerns about the national debt, his budget calls for increased spending on education research in both the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The magnitude of Obama’s education priorities is evident in comparison with the $2 billion maximum increase permitted by the Budget Control Act for all programs in health, education, and labor: The president’s plan would favor education alone with $1.7 billion of that amount. See the table below for the appropriations requested for education research in IES and two NSF directorates.

The president’s budget proposal is the first step in a process that in recent years has become lengthy and conflict ridden. Many expect that negotiations will continue into the lame-duck session after the national elections. The complete national and departmental budgets can be downloaded from the White House website.

Appropriations History and Requests for FY2013
(Millions of U.S. Dollars)