Steven Holt: “In closing, for almost a quarter of a century, the OTA was one of the most respected, productive, cost- efficient…”

“In closing, for almost a quarter of a century, the OTA was one of the most respected, productive, cost- efficient agencies we have seen, producing comprehensive reports for the House and the Senate on issues related to health care policy, agricultural production, telecommunications, space policy, electronic surveillance, national defense, and much more. It prevented decisions made in ignorance, and ignorance is expensive. My friend from Oklahoma and also the ranking member, the gentlelady from Florida, talked about cost. What we are talking about here is finding the low-hanging fruit on making government more efficient. That is what the OTA did. That is what the OTA would do. This is the last Legislative Branch appropriations I will be dealing with. I know the OTA. I worked as a staffer on Capitol Hill. I saw that it works. I saw how much it elevated the debate here on Capitol Hill. It saves taxpayer money. I urge a ``yes'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.”