President George W. Bush had suggested keeping funding at 2002 levels as a compromise to break the stalemate on Capitol Hill.
But the sour economy has increased the demand on all grant-funding institutions, and program cuts could have put students and research programs at risk, said Suzanne Day, Harvard’s director of federal relations.
“It could have been better, but at least they were not cut,” she said.
The outlook for fiscal year 2004, only eight months away, is even more uncertain, according to Day.
She said the unstable political climate, proposals for massive tax cuts and a slim Republican majority that has unified the House and Senate for the first time in years make predicting next year’s budget unwise.
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