This vote was on an amendment by Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that would have prohibited funds from going to the National Science Foundation’s political science program.  The amendment was offered to the bill that funds the departments of Commerce and Justice and federal science programs such as NASA in fiscal 2010.

Coburn said his amendment has the political science community “hot and bothered” because in a time of high unemployment and economic turmoil “maybe we ought not spend money asking the questions why politicians give vague answers, or how we can do tele-townhall meetings and raise our numbers.”

Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said Coburn’ amendment would eliminate money from the National Science Foundation’s political science research, which funds a wide range of projects.

“The very first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for economics ever has received 28 awards from the National Science Foundation, the science program offered to political science professors. It shows what ground breaking work can be done,” Mikulski said.  “This amendment is an attack on science. It is an attack on academia. We need full funding to keep America innovative, and I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment.”

By a vote of 36-62, the amendment was rejected.  Of Republicans present, 31 voted for the amendment and nine voted against it.  .  All but five Democrats present voted against the amendment (including the most progressive members).    The end result is that the measure went forward with funding intact for the National Science Foundation’s political science program.