In creating the 2009 economic stimulus bill, Congress felt strongly that in order for the American economy to recover, our nation had to maintain its leadership position in development of new technologies, industrial innovation and training students to compete in a global economy. Here are some highlights:
Supporting Scientific Research
The bill provides $3 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), for basic research in fundamental science and engineering.
The Department of Energy’s Office of Science gets $1.6 billion to fund research in such areas as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics, nuclear physics and fusion energy sciences. Basically, research leading to money-saving energy independence.
The bill allocates $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for expanding jobs related to research into diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, and heart disease. The NIH also gets $1.5 billion to renovate university research facilities and help them compete for biomedical research grants.
Expanding Broadband Services
Areas of the nation not currently served or underserved by high-speed, broadband Internet and communications service, including rural and inner-city communities, will get $7 billion for extending those services. Congress feels this investment will help rural and inner-city business become and remain competitive.
