we are not cutting these programs, they are too valuable for our nation, and do your bit in pushing back on these cutbacks, will you?

Congratulations on your nomination and confirmation to the position of Director of OSTP.

I want to make sure you both understand that I view this as a critically important part of our discussion today and it should be the starting point for how we view STEM education in this nation.

Even one hate crime is not acceptable. So I would say no.

I want to start by reviewing some numbers with you, numbers that appeared in your recently published Community Relations Service 2018 Annual Report, that highlights the enormous and growing problem of hate crime in this country.

Are the trends that I outlined just now, are they acceptable or do they require additional attention and action?

According to the Washington Post, the position of Director of CRS is one of 145 key positions in the Federal Government requiring Senate confirmation that has not yet received a formal nomination from the current administration.

I suppose that is why you are here instead of a Director to testify.

Can you think of a good reason why a Director has not been nominated?

What we do here in government, with respect to science matters.

the NSF's website states that the mission of the NSF is, quote, "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense."

Looking at the administration's fiscal year 2020 budget request, the NSF would have realized a 12 percent cut overall and a 10 percent cut to the Education and Human Resources Directorate.

When the administration's budget slashes funding in key research areas... that sends the wrong message about how we value science here in the United States.

The pressure on our scientific agencies to be complicit in this farce and reenforce false and dangerous information is what really disturbs me.

What NOAA did in response to political pressure hurts faith in science as an institution and I fear things like that will damage the appeal of science as a career to the next generation.

So we have to drill down on this stuff.

I mean, you go to buy a car and there is a car salesman standing there, and what do you ask him? You ask him how much is the car.

We increased NASA's funding by $815 million, which fully funded the lunar landing program and robustly funded scientific discovery and STEM education.