I was up on Capitol Hill today and have to say the mood is utterly pessimistic among staffers. The chasm between the two sides is too wide, especially in the House. I don’t think they think they can get it all done during the short period of time they have during the lame duck session. So off the cliff we go I suppose.
Interestingly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of push back against DOD cuts. It’s the NIH budget that seems to have some real support on both sides of the aisle–I think there is a real understanding that you just can’t put biomedical research on hold. But even with that understanding, my sense is that staffers seemed resigned to the ultimate failure of their bosses in fixing things.
Discoverers and Discoveries 