You mean publicly held corporations.

I don't know whether it's the bureaucracy or whatever it is, but you're in charge of the bureaucracy. They work for you.

I want to know where the glitch is.

Well, I just think the length of time is just unacceptable, how long it's taking.

Senator Specter and I are both, with his leadership and with my support, starting to get on another pathway of trying to get it up to a tripling.

Dr. Zerhouni, are you advising us that we should zero out all funding for renovation and building of laboratory facilities?

I am going to keep proposing that the President has to put that in his budget next year.

But if we make the choice here to continue to fund extramural construction, then you will not have that money for research, will you?

we have to push hard on that. We have to get this thing moving. And I do not know why it has not by now.

I do not think you can. I think we just cannot go to zero funding for 1 year.

My point is, you asked for 2.6 percent.

Well, then, Dr. Zerhouni, let me carry this one step further.

In fiscal year 2003, Congress funded more than $300 million for extramural construction with allergies and infectious diseases, bioterrorism.

I have met with families in Iowa about this. And I am concerned, as Senator Specter, that the leading cause of infant mortality is something that----

The $400 million cut for 21st Century Community Learning Centers would mean no more after-school services for 550,000 children.

I just want to associate myself with the statements of our chairman, Senator Specter, in his opening remarks.

This budget is totally inadequate. And it is leaving us in a heck of a situation here to try to correct it and get the education funding back up.

But this budget cuts funding for the No Child Left Behind programs by $1.2 billion from this year's level.