Eddie Bernice Johnson

I support an increased role for the Department of Education in STEM education.

This President understands that our future economic growth and therefore our ability to reduce our debt in the future is tied very strongly to the investments we make in science and innovation today.

I am dumbfounded we are even considering cutting the very investments that will reduce our debt over the long run.

This Committee will continue to stand up for the very important and unique role of NSF in STEM education.

I am greatly concerned that we simply cannot afford to continue spending at these rates.

It appears to me that we are still attempting to be where we are supposed to be with only 50 percent of our brain power.

Women continue to go down in their numbers in entering these fields, and I did put an amendment on the original bill before it went to the Senate that contained a study to involve more women.

Satellite coverage is essential for us to monitor Earth, forecast weather, and protect lives and property.

Weather forecasting systems may fail, creating gaps in critical weather data and eroding weather services that every American relies on.

At the least we must ask ourselves whether the very negligible effect these cuts will have on the national deficit warrants the devastation it will cause to our core scientific programs.

But if they can't breathe clean air and drink clean water, or help communities and industries prepare for harsh weather and natural disasters, what does that mean?

If we don't have those resources this year, we terminate contracts, we lose people that have the expertise, and the consequences of that will not be pretty.

If cuts on the order of those in the House-passed H.R.1 were enacted: Thousands of research scientists, graduate students, technical and administrative staff... will be laid-off or furloughed.

We must not lose sight of the contribution that science activities at EPA have provided to the public for decades.

I am concerned that both the Continuing Resolution made over the fiscal year 2011 budget, and the House passed H.R. 1 will lead to new costs growth and schedule delays that will set the program back even further.

In these challenging economic times we need not sacrifice everything for the sake of making cuts.

I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

While the two sides of the aisle might not always agree on the appropriate resources and directions for NOAA and EPA, I think that we all agree that good policy begins with good science.

I stand with the President and a number of respected conservative columnists, numerous policy experts, and I believe the American people when I say that these are investments and not just spending.

I agree with Chairman Hall--we are in a dangerous position as it relates to our national deficit.

While we must be fiscally responsible, we also must keep America competitive and create a better future for the American people.

If the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by the House two weeks ago were enacted, the Department of Energy's basic science and energy RD&D portfolios, as well as its extensive network of National Laboratories and world-class facilities…

We are in a dangerous position as it relates to our national deficit.

It is time to set priorities and make choices that do not leave our workforce ill-prepared and hamper the country's ability to innovate and grow.

We cannot roll back the clock on our economy. Our economic woes weren't caused by too much science.