Political Quotes

“I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, whose bipartisan cooperation and hard work are evident in the bill before us. This bill invests in a number of important programs that have strong Democratic backing. It underscores the constraints of virtually flat discretionary spending. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, underinvestment in our marine ports and inland waterways endangers more than 1 million U.S. jobs and $270 billion in U.S. exports by 2020. While the Corps of Engineers would be given a slight increase above this year's level, budget caps won't help the Corps make a dent in its $60 billion project backlog, forcing them once again to put off vital projects that would protect homes, businesses, and communities. We are also missing an opportunity to ramp up investments in science and technology. Research and development spending has fueled our economic growth for the last 60 years, and dramatic increases in this area are needed to sustain our economic recovery. Flat funding for ARPA-E and the Office of Science is particularly problematic, given that other countries, including China, Russia, Germany, and Singapore, are increasing investments in these fields. We cannot permit an innovation deficit. We must ensure that tomorrow's breakthroughs occur in American labs and universities.…”