Political Quotes

“I thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for their work on this bill and for their support of this amendment. Before I yield, Mr. Chairman, I would like to read a section from a June 21, 2014, report by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, which assessed workforce development needs and the importance of a wide education pipeline: A complete picture of the scientific workforce must be understood in the context of the broader education pipeline. There are many reports that discuss the challenge of training highly qualified individuals in the so-called STEM--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--fields. We believe that a robust workforce for fusion energy sciences requires a wide pipeline that starts with precollege activities and ends with strong employment opportunities. This pipeline should also tap into the full potential of the American populace, with opportunities to attract women and groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. The adoption of our amendment today will help address this point in part, but we would also like to state our opposition to the Department of Energy's plan to remove precollege science education activities from its mission portfolio. The Department of Energy labs provide world-class facilities, where students and scientists conduct groundbreaking research. These facilities should operate both as hubs of innovation and as research tools to engage students.…”