Date: 2015-05-20
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today. I must unfortunately rise in opposition to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. It is unfortunate because I was a strong supporter of both the original COMPETES Act. as well as the 2010 reauthorization. Both of those bills passed with bipartisan support. and both bills reflected the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences groundbreaking 2005 report. "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." It is worth reflecting on what the National Academys panel found and why they made the recommendations they did. First. the panel that wrote the report was composed of a distinguished group of individuals from industry. academia. and science. and it was headed by the former Lockheed CEO Norm Augustine. The panel noted that much of Americas economic growth and success in the decades following World War II was the direct result of our Nations sustained investment in research and development. However. they noted that a gathering storm was approaching. Americas economic and military competitors around the world had begun to catch up with our Nations technological lead. Moreover. research and development budgets in the United States were stagnating. The panel determined that America was sorely in need of a recommitment to research and development in order to maintain our competitive edge. The Augustine panel gave specific recommendations that we increase R&D spending. revitalize STEM education across the country. and also create and support a new ARPAE for breakthrough energy research modeled on the renowned DARPA program at the Department of Defense. The original COMPETES Act implemented these recommendations across the board. Supporting this bill was one of the highlights of my two decades of service here in Congress. I have highlighted this history because it is important to understand what we are doing here today and why these issues are so important. Since 2010. when we passed the last COMPETES reauthorization. R&D spending in America has begun to stagnate again and. by some measures. even declined. In the meantime. our economic competitors have doubled down on their investments in research and development. Over the past decade. China has averaged a 23 percent increase in R&D spending each year. Perhaps. not surprisingly. in 2014. China overtook the United States to become the worlds largest economic power. The crisis that the Augustine committee warned us about in 2005 has now arrived. What is the response of our majority to this crisis? Absolutely nothing. That is what is in H.R. 1806: absolutely nothing. H.R. 1806 completely abandons the recommendations of the Augustine committee and the original COMPETES Act. It abandons the legacy of COMPETES by flatfunding R&D investments. It abandons the legacy by slashing funding for the very ARPAE program envisioned by this committee. the Augustine committee. It abandons that legacy by politicizing the scientific grantmaking process and pitting different research disciplines against each other. I want to be clear about what it is that this majority is abandoning. They are abandoning our future. America is the greatest nation on Earth. but our greatness is not guaranteed. We have to work for it. We have to do the things that are necessary to ensure a bright future for our country. That means making the same kinds of investments in science and technology that previous generations made. Our predecessors understood what was at stake. They made a commitment to invest in research and development and science education. and we still benefit from those past investments today. The world is not standing still. If we do not recommit to our investments in science education. research. and development. we will be surpassed. The bill before us fails to secure our Nations future. and for that reason. I must strenuously oppose it. I am not alone in my opposition. We have received more than 40 letters or statements of concern or outright opposition from over 70 different groups. including the American Association for the Advancement of Science. the Association of American Universities. the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities. the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. the Coalition for National Science Funding. the STEM Education Coalition. the Truman National Security Project. and many. many others. I will put the full list of these organizations in the RECORD at this time.