Date: 2015-06-02
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. let me express my appreciation and respect for the chair as well as the ranking member of the subcommittee. I really do respect the work. but I do rise in opposition to H.R. 2578. It represents a missed opportunity to help the Nations research and innovation enterprise at a time when that help is urgently needed. Until the mismatch between the House budget resolution and the needs facing our country is addressed. we are going to continue to fall behind. both in our efforts to maintain our global competitiveness and our efforts to maintain R&D capabilities we need right here at home. As ranking member of the Science. Space. and Technology Committee. I would like to use some of my time to address some specific concerns that I have with the bill. which I elaborate on in my statement for the RECORD. In short. the bills report language would make arbitrary and ideologically driven cuts to NSF social sciences and geoscience research programs. In addition. the bills funding would put NSFs new headquarters building at risk. adding cost growth and schedule delays. With respect to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. in addition to the funding cuts. I am particularly concerned about the report language that would gut the critical forensic standards activities already underway at NIST. as well as the bills language that would covertly. without any hearings. debate. or authorizing legislation. eliminate an entire agency. the National Technical Information Service. The bill would also make significant cuts to NOAAs budget. including climate research and NOAAs Polar Follow On weather satellite program. Finally. the bill would make deep cuts to NASAs Earth Science Program. disrupting activities that will help us better understand our home planet and the climate change that is occurring right now. Mr. Chairman. in closing. as I said before. the bill is a missed opportunity. and I cannot support it in its current form. Mr. Chairman. I rise in opposition to H.R. 2578. While I respect the work put into the bill by my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee. I am afraid that it represents a missed opportunity to help the nations research and innovation enterprise at a time when that help is urgently needed. As other speakers have noted. this bill is the result of a fundamentally flawed House budget resolution that provides insufficient allocations for critically important activities of the federal government. including investing in our future. Until that mismatch is addressed. we are going to continue to fall behind. both in our efforts to maintain our global competitiveness and our efforts to maintain the R&D capabilities we need here at home. As Ranking Member of the House Science. Space. and Technology Committee. I would like to use my remaining time to address some specific concerns I have with the bill. With respect to the National Science Foundation. I have two specific concerns beyond the overall funding level. Following the direction contained in the report accompanying this bill would result in a 1520% cut to each of the social sciences and geosciences directorates at NSF. Let me be clear. These are arbitrary and ideologicallydriven cuts that reflect a lack of understanding of how science works. and a lack of understanding of the great importance of these fields of research to our national interests. Moreover. with these cuts we stand to lose a generation of talent and expertise in fields essential to the wellbeing of this nation. and we may never recover from that loss. Second. I must comment on the flatfunding for the NSF operations account. NSF is already in the midst of building a new headquarters in Alexandria. and the funding provided to NSF in this bill may very well result in delays and therefore increased cost for that building. This is a clearcut case of the Congress being pennywise and pound foolish. With respect to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. I am concerned about the funding cuts to all of the accounts. I am particularly concerned about the report language that would gut the critical forensics standards activities already underway at NIST. and the bill language that would covertly. without any hearings. debate. or authorizing legislation. eliminate an entire agency. the National Technical Information Service. NTIS performs both essential and perhaps nonessential activities. This bill would throw out the baby with the bathwater without any consideration given to the consequences. The CJS bill we are considering today fails short in a number of ways in its treatment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It cuts the NOAA budget 5 percent below current spending and more than 13 percent below the Presidents request. This cut will have a significant impact on NOAAs ability to provide local communities and decisionmakers with the information they need to effectively manage the nations resources and protect the lives and property of every American. I am especially concerned about the lack of support for NOAAs efforts to maintain continuity in our polar observing capabilities. The Presidents budget request included $380 million to fund a Polar Followon program. This program would help mitigate a potential gap in this critical data by building robustness into our satellite constellation. As many of you know. accurate weather forecasts and warnings are vital for the economic security of the United States. and we must ensure NOAA has the resources it needs now to ensure the longterm health of our satellites. Additionally. I am concerned about the bills $30 million dollar cut to NOAAs climate research activities. Addressing climate change is our most pressing environmental challenge and NOAAs climate research furthers our understanding and the implementation of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. We should be doing more to combat climate change. not less. Finally. with respect to NASA. while Im pleased that the Committee on Appropriations has proposed a strong topline for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that is consistent with the Presidents overall request. I am troubled by the way that funding is allocated. In particular. I cannot support the deep cuts made to NASAs Earth Science program. Given the leadership role NASA plays nationally in studies of the Earth system. including climate change. these cuts will do serious long term damage if enacted into law. In addition. I question the proposed reduction to the Orion crew vehicle program from the FY 2015 funding level. especially given the concern expressed in the report language about NASAs ability to test all humanrated systems on the first Exploration Mission1. I also question the proposal to fund the Safety. Security. and Mission Services account. which is critical to maintaining a world class workforce and infrastructure. below the Presidents request. Mr. Chairman. in closing. as I said before. this bill is a missed opportunity. and I cannot support it in its current form. I yield back.