Political Quotes

“This amendment would cut about $67 million from the National Science Foundation's appropriations increase--again, increase; not reduce their funding, but reduce the increase--and apply that amount to the spending reduction account. The cuts in this amount are to four areas not directly involved in basic research such as construction, education and human resources, agency operations, and the Office of the National Science Board. In 2007 and again in 2010, NSF was granted funding to launch new STEM education programs under the America COMPETES Act, not to mention the Recovery Act stimulus with the same focus. Unfortunately, the U.S. continues to fall behind in producing enough STEM workers to compete globally, and our high school graduates' math and science scores are stagnant. A 2013 GAO study found that 209 different Federal STEM education programs overlap across 13 agencies, spending a total of $3 billion--$3 billion, with a b. GAO also found that 173 of these programs shared similarities in objectives and focus. The underlying committee report acknowledges program reductions and consolidation and yet increases spending on education and human resources by $29.5 million for an abandoned program that will be taken over by existing programs. More often than not, increasing Federal Government spending on non- research science initiatives grows the Federal Government, not just the next generation of scientists.…”