Andrew Lawler
Three of the government's top science managers told Congress last week that they intend to fight for more money than is penciled into the president's long-term budget projections for their agencies. But their appearance before House Science Committee Chair Robert Walker (R-PA)--who is irked that Democrat proposals to trim R&D spending haven't received the same scrutiny as Republican proposals--put the officials in the awkward position of trying to defend the president's budget without biting the congressional hand that feeds them.