Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I have no objection to the amendment. I share the opinion that NSF must exercise caution. I should tell Members, the NSF funding here is at an all-time high. This is a Republican committee, if you will. The House and we support the sciences. I want our country to stay ahead of China and the other countries. I want America to be number one. But I appreciate what Mr. Smith, the chairman, said: NSF must exercise caution and grant awards and ensure--and I hope NSF is listening today--that every grant is both scientifically, meritorious, and responsive to the national interest. The subcommittee has already taken steps to help improve accountability and transparency in its NSF operations by including language in the FY15 CGS report and is working with NSF to understand improvements that the agency is making in its review and communication process. In addition, last week, I sent a letter to the NSF director, Ms. Cordova. She is a very impressive person, very knowledgeable, she is brand new, I think she is committed to making sure that they only fund scientific things. But this letter emphasizes the need for the agency to be judicious in a grant it awards and to ensure that taxpayer funds are used wisely. The subcommittee will continue to provide oversight on this topic as needed. I thank the gentleman.…”