We are a major financier of the creation of knowledge through universities, and we are quite proud of what our support has produced over the years. The range of scientific achievementthe revolution now going on in biochemistry, our expanding understanding of the human genome, the discoveries of new forms of matter in the subatomic area, and the discovery of new planetary systemshas been quite extraordinary. The uses of technology in modern life have become so commonplace that we do not marvel at them in the way we once did. One of the examples of how fast technology is changing our lives can be seen in popular culture. Tomorrowland has been totally reconceived, taking into account the fact that even Disney cannot keep up with science.
Research is clearly an area that has been one of our priorities for federal spending.
In the next several years, however, we will find that the requirement to balance the budget is going to affect research spending, just as it will affect all discretionary spending. If we are to sustain these kinds of increases, we will need a concerted effort to keep research at a high level of priority. While I believe that the support for research and technology is quite broad in Washington, and will, in fact, be sustained in this period, we almost certainly will not meet the highest aspirations of those in the research community. But a number of issues do arise. In some ways, having large research capabilities has become a matter of prestige in universities, creating pressures for a broader and broader base that needs new grants to be sustained.