The 107th Congress (1st Session) – 2001 in Review
The year 2001 turned out to be an extraordinary one for the U.S. Congress. President George W. Bush was in his first year of office and, initially, enjoyed a Republican controlled House and Senate. Because the election results were delayed, President Bush did not send his budget to Congress until early April 2001. The elections also resulted in a smaller margin of control in the Congress. In the Senate, Republicans and Democrats were evenly split at 50-50, resulting in Vice President Dick Cheney, as the President of the Senate, breaking the tie and giving the Republicans control. In the House, Republican control dwindled to a five-seat majority.
Although the expected Federal surpluses continued to be anticipated, the economy began to show signs of slowing down. In the beginning of the year, the Administration sought a comprehensive tax cut package. After long debate, the President’s tax legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law. In early summer, Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), left the Republican party unexpectedly and became an Independent, aligning himself with the Democrats. With his switch, the Democrats regained control of the Senate, which they had lost in 1994, and Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) became Majority Leader. As a result, Texas Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Phil Gramm were no longer in the majority party.
Following the September 11 attacks, Congress put aside many political differences and worked to pass bipartisan legislation to increase federal security, protect vulnerable resources, and provide financial support for families of the victims. Differences over an economic stimulus package, the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill, the Elementary and Secondary Education Reform bill, and emergency spending attached to the Defense Appropriations bill, forced Congress to delay adjournment long after the targeted date of October 1.
Many programs of interest to higher education faired well. The National Institutes of Health received a 14.7% increase over FY 2001, the National Science Foundation received an 8.5% increase for a total FY 2002 funding level of $4.4 billion, and NASA received a 3.8% increase over FY 2001 for a final funding level of $14.2 billion. In the Department of Education, the Pell Grant maximum was increased to $4,000 per student. However, the key university-based Department of Defense accounts, known as 6.1 and 6.2, and the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research accounts received flat funding for FY 2002.
In light of September 11, the academic community faced serious efforts by Congress to enact strict security measures for student visas. Working with Congress, they developed compromise proposals that properly delineate the roles of universities and the Federal government in addressing these concerns.
On a number of university-related policy matters, Congress was unable to come to a final resolution. These issues include the charitable IRA rollover, gambling on collegiate athletics, database protection, and passage of a permanent R&D Tax Credit. All of these issues will likely resurface next year.
