Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would restore funding to the Office of Technology Assessment, or otherwise known as OTA. I would like to thank my cosponsors, Representatives Esty, Foster, Langevin, Lieu, and Lujan. The foundation for good policy is accurate and objective analysis, and, for more than two decades, the OTA set that foundation by providing relevant, unbiased technical and scientific assessments for Members of Congress and staff. But in 1995, the OTA was defunded, stripping Congress of a valuable resource to understand both emerging technologies as well as the nuances of the legislative process. In its absence, the need for OTA has only grown. Many of the issues OTA studied 20 years ago are even more pressing today. Antibiotic resistant bacteria, electronic surveillance in the digital age, and testing in America's schools, these are the complex challenges our Nation will continue to face, and Congress should have access to the thorough and insightful analysis OTA can provide. Investing in the OTA now will actually save us money in the future. In the last year it operated, the OTA's budget was $23 million, but its studies on the synthetic fuels corporation saved taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. Our amendment restores a modest $2.5 million to the OTA account for salaries and expenses to begin rebuilding the office.…”