Give priority to research and education, debt-cutters urged

The presidents and chancellors of more than 130 US universities are urging members of the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to prioritise education and scientific research as it works to reduce the nation’s rising federal debt.

In a 21 September letter to commission members, the university officials noted that recent deficit reduction actions had concentrated almost entirely on domestic discretionary expenditures, which were only about one-sixth of the budget.