H istorically, advice to the President was provided through advisors and boards without statutory authorities. Congress moved in 1976 to codify a formal mechanism for presidential science advice. The National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 ( P.L. 94-282 ) established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), including the position of its Director, within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) to provide scientific and technological analysis and advice to the President. This act codified and institutionalized a presidential science advice function that previously existed at each President's discretion. This report provides an overview of the history of science and technology (S&T) advice to the President and discusses selected recurrent issues for Congress regarding OSTP's Director, OSTP management and operations, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). For a discussion of certain OSTP policy issues, see also CRS Report R43923, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for the 114th Congress , by Dana A. Shea and John F. Sargent Jr. Science and technology policy issues tend to reach the presidential level if they involve multiple agencies; have substantial budgetary, economic, national security, or foreign policy dimensions; are highly controversial (especially when science and technology intersect with values, ethics, and morality); or are highly visible to the public. When these matters reach the Oval Office, Presidents generally seek information and advice from trusted sources as to the options available and their implications. Throughout U.S. history, Presidents have obtained S&T advice from federal scientists and engineers and informal personal contacts. Starting in the early 1930s, Presidents attempted to expand their sources of S&T advice through advisory boards and committees. Lacking a statutory foundation, these boards and committees tended to lack permanency, as subsequent Presidents often disbanded them. When again faced with the need for S&T advice, Presidents would form new advisory boards or committees, sometimes reconstituted from previously disbanded ones. In the years leading up to World War II, the importance of research and development (R&D) to the nation's economic and military strength became increasingly evident. As a result, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) in 1941. The federal R&D enterprise is widely credited with contributing substantially to the Allied victory in World War II, as well as to the development of subsequent U.S. industrial strength. In November 1944, President Roosevelt wrote a letter to OSRD Director Vannevar Bush seeking recommendations on how research and the research infrastructure established to support America's war effort could be "profitably employed in times of peace." Bush's response, Science: The Endless Frontier , laid out a framework that asserted the essential role of scientific progress in meeting the nation's economic, national security, and social needs. Experts widely view the Bush report as foundational to today's U.S. science and technology policy. Subsequent Presidents used a variety of mechanisms to obtain S&T advice within the EOP, to enhance interagency coordination, and to receive counsel from outside advisors. The primary provision of advice to the President on science and technology issues continued through advisors and assistants to the President who continued to perform this function without statutory authorities. Organizations within the EOP included the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (Eisenhower) and the Office of Science and Technology (OST; Kennedy, Johnson). Organizations focused on interagency coordination included the President's Scientific Research Board (Truman), the Federal Council for Science and Technology (FCST; Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon), and the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET; Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush). External advisory committees included the Science Advisory Committee (Truman, Eisenhower), and the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC; Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon). In 1973, President Nixon abolished the Office of Science and Technology. The National Science Foundation (NSF) assumed its civilian functions and the National Security Council (NSC) its security functions. In addition, President Nixon opted not to appoint new members to PSAC after accepting the pro forma resignation of its members. With this backdrop, President Ford chose to establish OSTP through legislation, rather than executive order. The National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 ( P.L. 94-282 ) established OSTP and the position of OSTP Director. President Ford signed it into law on May 11, 1976. The creation of OSTP provided a new structure for the provision of science and technology policy advice to the President, but did not end Presidents' authority to appoint advisors in parallel. The OSTP director is a statutory position; the authority to appoint others to assist the President exists solely with the President. Thus, a President may opt to appoint the OSTP director to also serve as an assistant to the President, may concurrently appoint another individual to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), or may appoint no one to serve as APST. This also raised new and continuing questions with respect to coordination of advice. Appendix A provides a historical compilation of presidential S&T policy advisors with their titles, EOP S&T agencies/offices, interagency coordination organizations, and advisory committees. As illustrated in Table A-1 , the Presidents subsequent to President Ford continued to adapt OSTP and related organizations to suit their needs. The White House contains several science and technology policy entities, including OSTP, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). This section describes the structure, roles and responsibilities, current structure, and budget of each entity. The role and influence of OSTP, NSTC, PCAST, and their predecessor organizations have varied among Administrations, depending on the President, the individual serving as OSTP Director, and the rapport between them. Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy as an office within the EOP to, among other things, "serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government." OSTP defines its mission as having three components: Provide the President and his senior staff with accurate, relevant, and timely scientific and technical advice on all matters of consequence. Ensure that the policies of the Executive Branch are informed by sound science. Ensure that the scientific and technical work of the Executive Branch is properly coordinated so as to provide the greatest benefit to society. To accomplish this mission, OSTP has established the following strategic goals and objectives: Ensure that federal investments in science and technology are making the greatest possible contribution to economic prosperity, public health, environmental quality, and national security. Energize and nurture the processes by which government programs in science and technology are resourced, evaluated, and coordinated. Sustain the core professional and scientific relationships with government officials, academics, and industry representatives that are required to understand the depth and breadth of the Nation's scientific and technical enterprise, evaluate scientific advances, and identify potential policy proposals. Generate a core workforce of world-class expertise capable of providing policy-relevant advice, analysis, and judgment for the President and his senior staff regarding the scientific and technical aspects of the major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal government. The OSTP also has several roles not articulated in these formal statements. These include serving as a sounding board and conduit of information for agency executives seeking to understand, clarify, and shape science and technology-related policy objectives and priorities; helping agencies coordinate and integrate their S&T strategies and activities; and helping resolve interagency conflicts over areas of S&T responsibility and leadership. Past Presidents appointed Assistants to the President for Science and Technology (or their equivalents) to coordinate presidential advice. Congress codified a specific science and technology advisory function when it created OSTP. P.L. 94-282 establishes the position of OSTP Director, whose primary function is to provide, within the Executive Office of the President, advice on the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of issues that require attention at the highest level of Government. In addition, the statute, as amended, directs the OSTP Director to advise the President of scientific and technological considerations involved in areas of national concern including, but not limited to, the economy, national security, homeland security, health, foreign relations, the environment, and the technological recovery and use of resources; evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the federal effort in science and technology and advise on appropriate actions; advise the President on scientific and technological considerations with regard to federal budgets, assist the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with an annual review and analysis of funding proposed for research and development in budgets of all federal agencies, and aid [OMB] and the agencies throughout the budget development process; and assist the President in providing general leadership and coordination of the research and development programs of the Federal Government. By statute, the President appoints the OSTP Director, who is sometimes referred to colloquially as the President's science advisor. The OSTP Director is subject to Senate confirmation and receives compensation at the rate provided for level II of the Executive Schedule. The OSTP Director has never been a member of the President's Cabinet or a Cabinet-level official. The statute does not require, nor may Congress compel, that the President appoint the OSTP director to serve as an assistant to the President (or, more specifically, as APST). In addition to establishing the position of OSTP Director, P.L.