We as policymakers have to start thinking about how to eliminate some of the potential barriers to these developments.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness

I rise today to discuss the need to drive innovation and competitiveness here in the United States. I vividly remember watching the Apollo missions on TV and the launch of that 36-story tall Saturn V rocket that took Neil Armstrong and…

Cedar Bluff, Alabama, November 16, 2015: Sylvia Duffy, 71 years old. Clara Edwards, 68. Pamela O'Shel, 48. Tennessee Colony, Texas, November 15, 2015: Carl Johnson, 77 years old. Thomas Kamp, 46. Nathan Kamp, 23. Austin Kamp, 21. Kade…

I oppose this amendment. In January of this year, the Pentagon issued a directive saying: ``The Department of Defense must be able to adapt current and future operations to address the impacts of climate change in order to maintain an…

I am also opposed to this amendment. The DOD's employment of alternative energy is not about hugging trees; it is about improving our mission capabilities and saving lives. The military's investments in alternative energy technologies not…

We may not have a lot of advance notice. Our prediction capabilities for space weather are not as advanced as they should be.

This is certainly a very important topic, especially given the changes we are seeing in our society in terms of being interconnected in ways that are difficult to fathom.

I appreciate that comment, which I think highlights the fact that we need to do a whole lot more research into these storms.

May 1 marked the 5-year anniversary of the SEAL Team 6 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. As co-chair of the Special Operations Forces Caucus, I commend the targeted approach of our intelligence agencies and our special…

Akron, Ohio, April 18, 2013: Kem Delaney, 23 years old. Kiana Welch, 19. Maria Nash, 19. Kalamazoo, Michigan, February 20, 2016: Dorothy Brown, 74 years old. Barbara Hawthorne, 68. Mary Lou Nye, 62. Mary Jo Nye, 60. Richard Smith, 53…

But, one statistic that I saw that is--then I want to raise a question as to why this is the case--there's a study that showed that 40 percent of students who begin college as STEM majors actually complete the degree.

as much as half of the economic growth in the United States over the last 50 years is attributable to advances in science and technology.

I appreciate your leadership on this and certainly have enjoyed the questions--the last couple of questions, in particular, and talking about agencies working together.

One of the stumbling blocks we face now, especially in computer science, but, I think, in all STEM disciplines, is not having enough teachers who are trained to teach the discipline.

the United States is quickly losing ground in the global marketplace.

Led by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, the Senate HELP Committee recently took steps to help address that problem.

During the roundtables that we held with Senator Gardner and I, we certainly heard an awful lot about the need for basic research and how that is the fundamental aspect of innovation in this country.

I would like to take a look at the ecosystem that we talked about earlier, and how we fully develop this broad ecosystem that is not just academia, not just university research, but also industry, Federal Government, all of these partners…

We have to continue to fund this, I believe across the board.

Well, that leads to the point that we should move away from having an emphasis on a special application or a specific application for the research, and have it wide open.

We have to invest in all areas of basic research.

So, we need to get through that hurdle. That's something we can do immediately.

Basic R&D is the seed corn of our economy, and the innovation that it generates helps build new industries, increase productivity, and enhance American competitiveness.

I would go even further, that it is a fundamental role, that all of the other stuff does not happen without the government investment in basic curiosity research.