Political Quotes

“there is concern that America is losing its competitive leadership. I am proud to cosponsor the America COMPETES Act because it proposes a meaningful response to that loss of leadership, and I compliment the bill managers on the bipartisan manner in which the Senate is addressing this issue. America COMPETES is a strong piece of legislation, but I wish to propose amendments that I believe will strengthen this legislation in several areas. As our Nation becomes more diverse, scientists, engineers, and technology professionals continue to be recruited from a narrowing segment of our population. If we were able to increase the participation of underrepresented groups, including women, to a level reflective of their representation in the population, we would diminish the workforce issues that restrict our economic progress and generate a pool of talent that could refresh our ability to innovate. If we do not tap the diversity of our Nation as a competitive strength, we will diminish our capacity to innovate. Full participation by all segments of our populace would do more than just increase the number of workers in high technology fields; full participation would bring fresh perspectives and inventive solutions. To increase participation, I have offered several amendments to America COMPETES.”