TOPEKA, Kan. - State officials say the looming fiscal cliff and recent demotions in the Kansas congressional delegation shouldn't weaken support for a new federal $1.15 billion animal research lab in Manhattan.
     Funding for the new National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility has been slowed in recent years by tight federal funding sources and ongoing reviews of the laboratory's size, scope and risk. The Department of Homeland Security facility is designed to replace an aging animal research lab at Plum Island, N.Y., with the capability to research deadly animal diseases such as foot and mouth that affect livestock.
    New pressures have emerged. The deadline for avoiding increases in federal taxes and spending reductions are prompting more than a few concerns that the nation can't afford the facility.