Fight to restore DoD support of academic research begins

The funding and philosophical battle between supporters of pork projects and merit review research has intensified in Congress in recent weeks. The fallout may potentially be devastating to some areas of geophysical science. Just before the Independence Day recess, an unanticipated move by Rep. John Murtha (D‐Pa.) slashed $900 million or about half of the Defense Department's appropriations to universities for research (see Figure 1). To make the picture grimmer for peer‐reviewed research, the House version of the $240 billion spending bill added another $67 million to an already long list of earmarks. Rep. Murtha also announced that he would hold hearings on so‐called indirect cost reimbursements at federally supported research universities, proceedings which have in the past tarnished the face of higher education.