Paul Gosar: “Any program that receives this much funding has individual successes proponents can point to. The problem with this…”

“Any program that receives this much funding has individual successes proponents can point to. The problem with this program is that the ratio of successes to the failures is far lower with this one than comparable Federal research programs. It also targets an area of research that is inappropriate for Federal research. Basic early-stage research is a profit avenue for Federal dollars to go, not late-stage research on projects approaching commercialization. If a concept or technology is nearing commercialization, that is the right nexus for private industry to get involved. Our country's major companies in tech, engineering, and energy are flush with cash, and projects that they think are commercially viable are getting more funding than ever before. Failure by the government to salvage a project means that the projects, on the whole, aren't worth being salvaged by government, industry, or anyone. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”