Lamar Smith: “Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle today would have you believe that the only way you can be pro-science is…”

“Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle today would have you believe that the only way you can be pro-science is to spend more taxpayer money than the Budget Control Act allows. That is irresponsible. If everything is a priority, then nothing is. Real priorities require making real choices. If synthetic biology research at NSF is a priority, we should stop using the American people's tax dollars to fund reviews of animal photographs in National Geographic magazine. If robotics and batteries are priorities, we should not continue to spend taxpayer dollars on climate change musicals. H.R. 1806 proves that we can set priorities, make tough choices, and still invest more in breakthrough research and innovation. I thank the members of the Science Committee who provided valuable input into H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015; and that includes the cosponsors of the bill: Committee Vice Chairman Frank Lucas; all of our subcommittee chairs, Barbara Comstock, Randy Weber, Barry Loudermilk, and Jim Bridenstine; as well as Representatives Steve Palazzo, Randy Hultgren, Steve Knight, Brian Babin, and John Moolenaar. I urge the adoption of this pro-science, fiscally responsible bill. Mr.…”