Amendment to Eliminate Political Science Funding at NSF Defeated

On November 5, the Senate passed the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill (H.R. 2847). By a vote of 36-62, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would have eliminated funding for the political science program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The political science program at NSF is budgeted at $9 million.

Senator Barbara Mikulski chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations subcommittee stated during floor debate that she “vigorously and unabashedly” opposed the Coburn amendment. She went on to say, “This amendment is an attack on science. It is an attack on academia.”

The National Coalition for History sent a letter to all U.S. Senators in opposition to the Coburn amendment.