Commerce Budget Reflects Presidents Focus On
Economic Growth, Homeland Security and Fiscal Responsibility
President Bushs $5.4 billion budget request for the U.S. Department
of Commerce is focused on President Bushs priorities of economic
growth and homeland security.
Our budget request puts growing the economy and creating jobs
at the forefront. President Bush and I believe that one American without
a job is one too many, said Evans. President Bush is determined
to fund the priorities of our government while not losing sight of
the need for fiscal discipline.
The
Commerce Departments budget also will focus on promoting innovation,
and entrepreneurship, while also spreading opportunity to all Americans
and ensuring responsible stewardship of our natural resources.
Economic Growth
A central theme for the Presidents FY 2004 Budget is growing
the economy. The FY 2004 budget request contains requests of more
than $80 million in increases to programs at the Department of Commerce
aimed at growing the economy.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), part of the Economics
and Statistics Administration (ESA), is requesting an increase
of $5.4 million to accelerate the release of major economic estimates,
incorporate new international economic data classification, and acquire
real-time data to improve the quality and timeliness of economic statistics.
The increase will allow for a stronger, more competitive U.S. economy
by providing key economic data, such as Gross Domestic Product, in
a more accurate, timely and cost-effective manner.
Along the same lines, the ESAs Census Bureau is slated
for a $9.3 million increase to fill gaps in data collection, improve
methodologies for collecting that information, and improve the measurement
of the nations service sector. The budget further requests funds
for Census to process and review data from the Economic Census, and
to continue planning and designing the 2010 Decennial Census.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) encourages innovation,
and the Presidents budget reduces the annual practice of fee
diversion by nearly 50 percent allowing USPTO to keep a greater share
of its user fees. These additional funds will enable the USPTO to
continue its transformation into a quality-focused, highly productive,
market-driven organization, by implementing the second year of its
comprehensive 5-year "21st Century Strategic Plan."
Furthering the Departments commitment to the economy, the Economic
Development Administration (EDA) and the Minority Business
Development Agency (MBDA) requests will help accelerate the nations
economic growth by promoting a business environment favorable to private
capital investments and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs. In the Presidents
budget, EDA would receive an increase of $13.8 million to assist communities
that have been severely impacted by plant closures and other mass
layoffs. MBDAs request focuses on accelerating economic development
and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses by closing the gap
in economic opportunities and capital access.
The International Trade Administrations (ITA) request
for FY 2004 focuses on promoting U.S. exports, fighting unfair foreign
trade barriers, and negotiating and implementing multilateral and
bilateral trade agreements, to enhance the competitiveness of U.S.
businesses in the global economy.
Investments in the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) support the sustainability and economic viability of our
nations fisheries, expand the Administrations commitment
to study areas of scientific uncertainty in climate change, and improve
weather and climate forecasting capabilities. For example, NOAA is
requesting $6.3 million to build and sustain a global ocean observing
system that will accurately document climate-scale changes in ocean
heat, carbon and sea level. An additional $5.0 million will go toward
implementing a carbon cycle atmospheric observing system, with concentration
on North America, to gauge the effectiveness of future carbon emission
strategies. The economic payoff of these initiatives will allow United
States to create more accurate targets and timetables, which could
save billions of dollars.
At
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
a key part of the department's Technology Administration (TA),
the President's budget requests $9.2 million to implement a program
to build or strengthen the nation's measurement and standards infrastructure
in three fast-growing, globally competitive fields of technology:
nanotechnology, with a market predicted to reach $1 trillion during
the next decade; quantum computing, which could yield devices that
process immensely more information than todays best supercomputers;
and health care, where improved measurements and services could cut
the estimated $50 billion annual cost of inaccurate clinical measurements
and repeat testing.
Consistent
with the Administration's emphasis on shifting resources to reflect
changing needs, the FY 2004 Budget proposes to terminate the Advanced
Technology Program (ATP), and to maintain the FY 2003 policy of significantly
reducing federal funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP).
To meet increasing demand for federal wireless communication systems
and services, an increase of $1 million is requested for the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish
a paperless system for spectrum issue resolution, certification, satellite
coordination and frequency authorization. The FY 2004 budget also
proposes to suspend the Public Telecommunications Facilities Planning
and Construction (PTFPC) grants, a program reduction of $41.1 million
for NTIA during FY 2004. The Administration is proposing to target
funding of up to $80 million for digital transition grants for public
television stations within the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Homeland Security
One of the key bureaus providing homeland defense is the Bureau
of Industry and Security (BIS). BIS is requesting a $2.3 million
increase to address vulnerabilities in regulating exports of critical
goods and services as well as encouraging growth of exports to maintain
U.S. global economic leadership in order to advance national security
and foreign policy interests. The increase will enable BIS to strengthen
export enforcement with additional agents and capabilities, and to
enhance the bureaus analysis of U.S. export control regulations
to ensure that they reflect the dynamics of 21st century market and
technological changes.
The Department of Commerces budget requests $10.3 million for
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to
provide the measurement infrastructure necessary for stronger homeland
security. This includes developing and disseminating standards for
safety and security of buildings, for biometric identification systems,
and for radiation systems.
To address increased security issues, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is requesting a program increase
of $7.7 million. These funds will facilitate cooperation between the
National Weather Service (NWS) and local officials in the development
of an All Hazards Weather Radio Warning Network, allowing the dissemination
of all types of emergency warnings in addition to warnings for severe
weather. NOAA also will use a portion of these funds to upgrade physical
security at NWS facilities.