FY 2008 Budget Request Maintains Commitment to Economic Growth, U.S. Competitiveness, Clean Oceans and Spending Restraint WASHINGTON—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that the President’s FY 2008 Budget request of $6.55 billion for the U.S. Department of Commerce reflects President Bush’s priorities by promoting job growth, U.S. competitiveness, and environmental stewardship while restraining federal spending.
"The Commerce Department will aggressively implement President Bush’s pro-growth policies that have helped spur economic growth," Gutierrez said. "Our priorities include ensuring U.S. businesses have the tools to maintain their competitiveness, collecting critical economic and demographic data, and protecting and preserving our natural resources. The President is also very focused on restraining spending and this budget request reflects that goal as well. The President’s budget proposal for Commerce will provide the resources for our 38,000 employees to continue their excellent work." The Commerce Department’s budget focuses on its goals of promoting environmental stewardship; maximizing U.S. competitiveness and economic growth; and fostering leadership in science and technology.
Promoting Environmental Stewardship The President's FY 2008 Budget request of $3.82 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reflects the Administration's commitment to environmental stewardship. NOAA encompasses the National Weather Service, which provides critical observations, forecasts and warnings; the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, which provides timely global environmental satellite data; the National Marine Fisheries Service, which provides stewardship of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat; the National Ocean Service, which measures and predicts coastal and ocean phenomena; the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which provides research for understanding weather, climate, and ocean and coastal resources; and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which operates a variety of aircraft and ships providing specialized support for NOAA's environmental and scientific missions.
This budget request includes increases of $123 million for projects that will advance ocean science and research, protect and restore sensitive marine and coastal areas and ensure sustainable use of ocean resources. These initiatives will further the Administration's commitment to make our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes cleaner, healthier and more productive, as reflected in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan and creation of a Cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy.
Maximizing U.S. Competitiveness and Economic Growth A central theme for the President's FY 2008 Budget is enabling economic growth and maximizing U.S. competitiveness.
The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) promotes the understanding of the U.S. economy and its competitive position. Under ESA's umbrella, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) provides key objective data, including the Gross Domestic Product, on the nation's economic condition in a timely and cost-effective manner. The President's FY 2008 Budget requests $85 million for ESA Headquarters and BEA to provide statistics that are critical to public and private sector decision-making. This request includes an increase of $2 million to measure the impact of research and development along with other knowledge-based activities on economic growth.
ESA's Census Bureau is the leading source of quality data regarding the Nation's population and economy, and the President's FY 2008 Budget requests $1.23 billion in discretionary funds for the Census Bureau. This includes a program increase of $325 million for Periodic Censuses and Programs. Of this increase, the largest component is $281 million to continue reengineering the 2010 Decennial Census to reduce operational risk; to improve accuracy and relevance of data; and to contain total costs and provide for the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal. Another program addition includes $43 million to support collecting and processing data from the 2007 Economic Census. Also included is an $8.1 million initiative to provide quarterly and annual coverage of all 12 service sectors, matching the coverage of the quinquennial Economic Census.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) supports U.S. commercial interests at home and abroad by strengthening the competitiveness of American industries and workers, promoting international trade, opening foreign markets to U.S. businesses, and ensuring compliance with domestic and international trade laws and agreements. The President's FY 2008 Budget requests $412 million for ITA to serve its goals, including an increase of $1.3 million for monitoring and enforcement of compliance with Free Trade Agreements, concluding the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and reducing market access barriers through relevant WTO committees.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) supports America 's regions in their growth and success in the worldwide economy. The President's FY 2008 Budget requests $203 million for EDA to carry out its mission effectively.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regulates the export of sensitive goods and technologies to protect the security of the United States. The President's FY 2008 Budget requests $79 million to enable BIS to effectively carry out this mission. This request reflects greater efficiencies from the consolidation of administrative services and increased use of information technology in handling export applications, resulting in savings of $1.5 million from the President's FY 2007 request adjusted for inflation.
The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) focuses on accelerating the competitiveness and growth of minority-owned businesses by assisting with economic opportunities and capital access. The President's FY 2008 Budget requests $29 million to support MBDA's programs and expand the availability of services to minority business enterprises.
Fostering Leadership in Science and Technology The President's FY 2008 Budget request of $641 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a part of the Technology Administration (TA), will advance measurement science, standards, and technology. NIST's activities provide key support for the Administration's American Competitiveness Initiative. This budget request includes a $69 million increase for NIST laboratories, National Research Facilities, and Construction and Major Renovations. Of these funds, $47 million are proposed to support critical improvements to NIST's research laboratories in Boulder, Colorado and the NIST Center for Neutron Research in Gaithersburg, Maryland, while $22 million are proposed to support research programs in nanotechnology, quantum information science, climate change measurements and standards, disaster-resilience of structures and earthquake hazard reduction.
The Under Secretary for Technology (TA/US) currently provides policy guidance to the Secretary of Commerce and the Technology Administration's component agencies (NIST and NTIS). Technology plays a critical role across every sector of the economy, and the promotion of technology in advancing America 's competitiveness has become an integrated part of the mission across the bureaus of the Department. In keeping with this evolution, the President's FY 2008 Budget proposes to modernize the Department's approach to technology policy by elevating those activities to the Secretarial level. This modernization includes the appointment of a senior advisor in the Department's Office of Policy and Strategic Planning who will chair a Department-wide Technology Council to coordinate technology policy activities across the Department in lieu of a stand-alone Technology Administration. The request of $1.6 million provides resources for the orderly transition of TA/US to the new coordinated structure.
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) collects and preserves scientific, technical, engineering and other business-related information from Federal and international sources and disseminates it to the American business and industrial research community. NTIS operates a revolving fund for the payment of all expenses incurred and does not receive appropriated funds.
For the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the President's FY 2008 Budget request includes $19 million in discretionary budget authority. During FY 2008, NTIA estimates obligating $534 million from the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund to support several programs created by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, most notably $426 million for the Digital-to-Analog Television Converter Box Program. Following enactment of the Call Home Act of 2006, up to $1 billion will be awarded in FY 2007 to qualified applicants in the Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant program though outlays will continue over several fiscal years.
Furthering the mission to promote the research, development, and application of new technologies by protecting inventors' rights to their intellectual property through the issuance of patents, the President's FY 2008 Budget requests $1.9 billion in spending authority for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO will use these funds to reduce application processing time and increase the quality of its products and services. Consistent with prior years, the Administration proposes to fund the USPTO budget exclusively through offsetting fee collections. Fee collections for FY 2008 are projected to cover the proposed increases.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
