Uncertainty Aside, Lobbyists Foresee Healthy Budgets for Student Aid and NIH

By STEPHEN BURD and RON SOUTHWICK

Although the federal budget picture has been drastically altered by the prospect of war, university lobbyists say they were hopeful

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that key student-aid and research programs would still receive healthy budget increases.

Lawmakers are eager to finish their work on domestic issues and get out of town. Before they can leave, however, they must approve the 13 federal appropriations bills for the 2002 fiscal year, including one, which they have not yet introduced, that finances the Education Department and the National Institutes of Health.

College lobbyists say that Congressional leaders and the White House have worked out a general framework for the bill, which includes providing an increase of $6-billion for education programs for 2002, $3.3-billion more than President Bush asked for in his budget plan in April.

While much of that money will go to elementary- and secondary-education programs, the lobbyists expect that the legislation will provide an increase in the maximum Pell Grant that is greater than the $100 boost that Mr. Bush had requested.

Meanwhile, advocates for biomedical research say they are guardedly optimistic that Congress will at least meet President Bush's budget proposal of $23.2-billion for the NIH, which would amount to a $2.8-billion increase.

Lobbyists for colleges and biomedical research worry, however, that agreements that have been made so far on spending in the legislation, which would finance the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor, could break down if there are squabbles between political parties or members over any of the bill's contentious provisions.

In that case, the lobbyists fear, lawmakers could elect to approve a long-term continuing resolution, which would keep spending on programs in the bill at their current levels for part or all of the 2002 fiscal year.

"What we most fear is that if controversies or difficulties develop, support for going with a continuing resolution will grow," says Becky Timmons, director of government relations at the American Council on Education, an umbrella group that represents colleges.

Under the framework that Congressional leaders and the White House have agreed on, college lobbyists are hopeful that lawmakers will provide an increase in the maximum Pell Grant of at least between $150 and $200. The maximum Pell Grant is now $3,750.

College lobbyists are also optimistic that Congress will provide spending increases for the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program, which augments Pell Grants for students from low-income families, and the TRIO programs for disadvantaged students.

In his budget request, Mr. Bush asked lawmakers to raise spending on TRIO by $50-million, to $780-million, but left spending for the supplemental grant program flat at $691-million.

The House of Representatives is expected to match the $23.2-billion NIH appropriation proposed by President Bush earlier this year, according to some research advocates and staff members on the Appropriations Committee. The Senate may give the NIH $23.6-billion, a $3.4-billion increase, some lobbyists predicted.

Advocates for research and college coalitions say they thought it is possible that lawmakers from both houses may agree to the higher Senate figure, although they emphasize that that is far from a sure thing.

President Bush has promised to finish a five-year plan to double the agency's spending by 2003, an effort enthusiastically supported by Congress. A $3.4-billion increase would keep the NIH on track toward that goal.

Some lobbyists say there could be an across-the-board cut of some civilian agencies. While most do not expect the NIH to be affected, they could not say the same for other federal agencies that finance research.

The House and Senate had approved separate spending bills that would provide substantial increases for the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A committee of lawmakers from both houses may meet this week to negotiate budget figures. Research advocates say it is too early to know if the NSF and NASA will get more money.

Given the possibility of a long and expensive military campaign, some lobbyists say it is realistic to expect that some civilian agencies -- including some federal research programs -- may be frozen at current levels or face cuts.

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