Paul Tonko: “I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1806, the America…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. The original COMPETES Act was visionary in its commitment to increased R&D funding, and I strongly believe we should continue to increase funding for worthwhile investments in our Nation's future. However, I have serious concerns with this bill that the majority has offered. In 2010, as a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I had the opportunity to work on a truly bipartisan reauthorization of COMPETES. We worked together and chose to make certain that we innovate and we made certain that we would compete. This year I returned to the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, excited to again work on a smart and targeted COMPETES reauthorization. Unfortunately, there was no bipartisan process, and the result is a bill that does not live up to the original COMPETES vision. It would be more appropriately named the ``America Concedes'' bill. Why? Because at a time when the rest of the world is taking extraordinary steps to innovate, this bill would have America do the opposite. Its efforts are misguided, at the least. Major areas of research are not adequately funded, and the policy changes would take us in the wrong direction. Mr. Chair, I am concerned by the majority's fixation on allocating funding for NSF by directorate.…”