Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to myriad amendments to the Commerce, Justice, State and the judiciary appropriation bill to either dramatically reduce or eliminate funding for the Advanced Technology Program [ATP] at the Department of Commerce. High technology companies play a key role in preparing our communities for the 21st century, and the ATP is critical to those efforts. The ATP program is one of the strongest links in the Government-industry partnership to enhance U.S. competitiveness in a global marketplace. The Government support provided through the ATP is especially critical for long-term, high-risk, pre-competitive initiatives where the initial investment will not be recovered for several or even decades. Without these essential technology programs, U.S. industries will be at a disadvantage to the rest of the world. The ATP provides the high technology industry with the ability to develop breakthrough technologies by allowing companies to close the gap between technology development and commercialization. I find it ironic that the $185 million designated for the ATP is being characterized as corporate pork, particularly since the House recently voted to order $5 billion worth of new B-2 bombers from defense contractors--bombers that the Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commander in Chief all argued were unnecessary.”