Don Beyer: “I thank Mr. Tonko for his leadership, for putting this together, and for leading this bill year after year. Mr. Speaker…”

“I thank Mr. Tonko for his leadership, for putting this together, and for leading this bill year after year. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Trump administration's unconscionable and irresponsible attacks on America's scientific integrity. The very foundation of our success as a world power has been our scientific prowess, and now, the Trump administration is threatening to undermine that success. That is why I am here to talk about our bill with Representative Paul Tonko, the Scientific Integrity Act, and to defend the very foundation of what makes America a global leader: our scientific leadership and infrastructure. I am proud to represent the National Science Foundation here in Alexandria, Virginia, the very heart of Virginia. The NSF is an incredible resource and institution. It was established in 1950 by Congress as an independent agency to promote scientific advancement in America. For 75 years, it has repeatedly accomplished that goal. NSF has helped to keep the U.S. at the forefront of scientific discovery. It helped catalyze the internet and develop the technology for MRI machines and 3D printing machines. It helped to create the ``Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles,'' detected gravitational waves, developed LASIK eye surgery, and much, much more. Over its lifetime, the National Science Foundation supported over 350,000 scientists, and of this number, 262 have won Nobel Prizes.…”