Mark Udall: “I rise to state my disappointment with and strong opposition to this bill. It is one thing to make government more lean…”

“I rise to state my disappointment with and strong opposition to this bill. It is one thing to make government more lean; it is another thing to cut jobs year in and year out at facilities all over the country--not because there is fat to cut at these facilities, but because the Subcommittee allocation simply doesn't provide enough money to go around. Under the bill as it stands, important scientific facilities in my district in Colorado--the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-- will see approximately 200 jobs lost, maybe more. NOAA's labs in Boulder will see a cut of 40 percent in funding in FY2004--that's nearly cutting its budget by half in one year! I don't have as precise information on NIST, but I am told NIST stands to lose roughly 300 jobs between its labs in Maryland and Colorado--fully 10 percent of its staff. The bill doesn't fund mandatory cost-of-living increases for both NIST and NOAA--so funds for these increases come out of programs and out of the salaries of workers who are left without jobs. Further, the bill does not include funding for safety, maintenance and major repairs required at NIST's campus in Colorado. Without quality laboratory facilities, NIST cannot provide the standards and measurement support industry requires. The bill includes just two-thirds of base funds for NOAA's Space Environment Center in Colorado, which suffered similar shortfalls last year.”