Today, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Ranking Member Frank Lucas released a statement on the Senate Commerce Committee’s markup of the Endless Frontier Act:
I appreciate the progress the Senate Commerce Committee made today to improve provisions on the National Science Foundation in the Endless Frontier Act and to include recognition of the important role the Department of Energy plays in advancing U.S. innovation. Unfortunately, today’s markup also featured a hodgepodge of amendments, many only tangentially related to strengthening American research. The bill is now weighed down with hundreds of special interest provisions and has no cohesive vision for the future of America’s research enterprise.
I’m glad my colleagues in the Senate recognize the importance of investing in research and combating the growing threat from the Chinese Communist Party, but I believe that effort must be as focused and strategic as our adversary is on accelerating research and development. A bill that spreads billions around to serve every special interest will not advance American innovation and will not compete with China.
On the House side, we’ve developed comprehensive bipartisan legislation that doubles funding at NSF over five years, investing more than $72 billion. Our bill was developed with extensive stakeholder input and addresses a strategic range of issues needed to strengthen American R&D including technology transfer, STEM pipeline development, and research security from foreign theft. We are also working towards comprehensive legislation to advance the work of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and our National Laboratories. Whatever shape our final legislative package takes, it should be comprehensive, strategic, and sustainable.