Political Quotes

“I rise to join my colleagues in support of this amendment to restore funding to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, known as ARPA-E. In the report language for this bill, the committee's majority correctly notes that projects funded by ARPA-E ``are capable of significantly changing the energy sector to address our critical economic and energy security challenges.'' This Agency is funding research to advance more efficient power transmission, energy storage, transportation fuel alternatives, energy-efficient buildings, and so much more. So it is puzzling that the committee would then recommend reducing the funding for activities that promote American energy and independence by 27 percent compared to the current funding of 43 percent below the President's reasonable request. It is thanks to our strategic investments in R&D that we have captured the full benefit of America's ideas and innovations through partnerships with the higher education community and the private sector. More than half of the Nation's economic growth since World War II can be traced to science-driven technology research and innovation that has stemmed from that partnership. It was central to our ability to capitalize in the space race in the 1960s. Since then, the magnitude of research supported by the Federal Government has actually grown and revolutionized health care, transportation, the digital economy and, yes, energy delivery and efficiency.…”