think the Republicans are proceeding rather quickly. But that's just a subjective impression that may be corrected by reality when I'm in Washington. Q: You now have a colleague, Representative Randy Hultgren (R-IL) , who has Fermilab in his district, and he won recognition as a "champion of science" from the Science Coalition in part for his role in advocating for Fermilab. Scientists who supported you in this past election have also said that Hultgren has done a good job and turned out to be a pretty enthusiastic supporter of science. Do you see yourself working with Hultgren? He unseated you in his district in 2010. B.F.: Oh yeah. There's no problem working with people. There's the political world and then there's trying to get something done for your area. It would be nice if Representative Hultgren would stop voting for things like the Ryan budget. One of the things that I think was an important part in my election victory was the fact that you can't claim to be to be a supporter of science and then vote for something that cuts the science budget by 25% or 30%. So there's a fundamental difference. Many people present themselves back in their home districts as a champion of something and then vote against it in Washington, and science is not immune to that behavior. Q: You're a self-described progressive. Back in 2008 when you won election, if somebody had asked me, I would have said, and I would say now,