Political Quotes

“This amendment, I hope, is noncontroversial in nature. Section 105 of the bill would authorize appropriations for several National Science Foundation grant programs dealing with cybersecurity. For example, the bill authorizes nearly $400 million through 2014 for computer and network security research grants. In addition, the bill would authorize such sums as necessary to make grants related to computer and network security research centers and capacity building, Scientific and Advanced Technology Act grants, and traineeships and research fellowships. This amendment would simply prohibit any earmarking of the funds made available for these programs under this act. It appears that the grants are already intended to be awarded on a ``merit-reviewed competitive basis.'' But I think we still need this amendment because we've seen in the past, time and time and time and time again, that programs that were set up to be competitive accounts that are supposed to be competitive or merit reviewed are simply earmarked later. So if we have this language in it, it will make it less likely that these accounts are subject to earmarking. It's unfortunate that we have to take this step, I realize, but I think we should. I agree with the President when he said last week that we need to ``continue down the path to earmark reform'' and that ``restoring the public trust demands more.'' This is doing more. I think that we ought to go much further than this, but this is a good start.”