Pelosi And Others Credit Stimulus For Boom In Scientific Research Spending

By Ravi Bhatia – Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), along with other House members and representatives from various universities, touted the research conducted with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Also known as the stimulus package, the ARRA allocated $21.5 billion for scientific research, purchasing equipment and science-related construction projects.

“There was a time, if you promise not to tell anybody, when in Washington you had to choose between science and faith, take your pick,” Pelosi said. “And [then] we said, ’science is an answer to our prayers.’ It’s all pretty compatible.”

The university officials universities pointed to the website www.scienceworksforUS.org, which details the stimulus-sponsored research being conducted across the country. ScienceWorksForUS is an initiative of the Association of American Universities, the Association of Land Grant Universities, and the Science Coalition, who together represent 200 research institutions.