2001 BUDGET: Spending Bills Show No Sign of Surplus--Yet.

The U.S. Treasury may be awash in excess revenue, but so far this year many science programs are feeling parched. At the midpoint of the annual budget cycle, health and defense agencies appear headed for large increases, while the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are facing a fiscal drought compared to their requests. A lot could change before the 2001 fiscal year begins in October, however.