APLU Statement on House-Senate Budget Agreement

December 10, 2013—Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson tonight issued the following statement regarding the House-Senate budget deal for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 announced this evening.

“The budget agreement announced tonight demonstrates just how unpopular sequestration has become with members of both parties and the American people. This deal is an important first step toward ending the reckless and blunt cuts brought upon by the sequester that have unnecessarily inflicted pain across the country, including in research labs at public universities. While this agreement is imperfect, it warrants the support of lawmakers.

“This two-year agreement provides a budget framework that will help begin to close our nation’s innovation deficit—the gap between needed and actual federal investments in research and higher education—particularly when compared to the rapidly rising funding levels in nations such as China, India, and Singapore. Federal investments in research at our public institutions have led to countless innovations and new technologies that have powered our economy for decades. Much more needs to be done to fix the damage imposed by sequestration and the Budget Control Act to help ensure the U.S. maintains its role as global innovation leader. This a long-term effort and we are thankful that congressional leaders have begun to take these first steps in the right direction.”