Averting the Storm: How Investments in Science Will Secure the Competitiveness and Economic Future of the U.S.
Opening Statement By Chairman Bart Gordon
Good Morning. I want to thank you for being here for this important hearing on securing the competitiveness and economic future of the U.S.
In 2005, I joined then-Chairman Sherry Boehlert and Senators Lamar Alexander and Jeff Bingaman in requesting the National Academies to conduct a study assessing the state of our nation’s competitiveness. The resulting report was entitled Rising Above the Gathering Storm and foreshadowed a troubling future for this nation - one in which our scientific leadership, technological edge, and ability to compete effectively in the global economy is uncertain.
The report maintained that - without decisive action - our children and grandchildren may very well be the first generation of Americans to inherit a standard of living lower than their parents. The report outlined specific actions to be taken to ensure the future competitiveness and prosperity of the U.S., including increasing the federal investment in long-term basic research and improving K-12 science and mathematics education.
Congress responded. In 2007, this Committee took the lead in drafting legislation to implement the recommendations included in the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report. This landmark legislation, which became known as the America COMPETES Act, received overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It passed by a vote of 367-57 in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate.
The America COMPETES Act was more than just a rallying cry for U.S. scientific and technological leadership and competitiveness. It authorized a doubling of basic research budgets at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. It also established inventive programs to train the next generation of math and science teachers and to fund the transformational research that will lead to new industries, new businesses, and new jobs. These programs are now up and running, laying the foundation for sustained U.S. leadership in science, technology and innovation and reversing the trend we were warned about in Rising Above the Gathering Storm.
The America COMPETES Act was more than just a rallying cry for U.S. scientific and technological leadership and competitiveness. It authorized a doubling of basic research budgets at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. It also established inventive programs to train the next generation of math and science teachers and to fund the transformational research that will lead to new industries, new businesses, and new jobs. These programs are now up and running, laying the foundation for sustained U.S. leadership in science, technology and innovation and reversing the trend we were warned about in Rising Above the Gathering Storm.
Unfortunately, despite our best laid plans, the America COMPETES Act is set to expire tomorrow.
A little more than 9 months ago, in this very room, we held a hearing with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable, and the Council on Competitiveness on the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. That hearing was just one of more than 30 hearings we held to inform our reauthorization efforts.
This Committee reported out the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 in April. The bill, which continued critical investments in science and technology, and renewed our commitment to the future competitiveness and economic security of the U.S., passed the House on a bipartisan basis at the end of May. The Senate version of the bill was reported out of the Senate Commerce Committee in July and is currently awaiting floor action.
Late last week, we received a stark reminder about why a reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act is so critical. The original Rising Above the Gathering Storm Committee released an update to its 2005 report entitled Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5. According to the update, the nation’s outlook has worsened substantially over the last 5 years and we now face even greater challenges in sustaining our competitive position in the world.
Our marching orders are clear. We must continue what we started and recommit ourselves to the ideals we laid out in the original COMPETES Act. If this report tells us anything, it tells us that the worst thing we can do is let our efforts at reauthorization languish.
Today’s hearing may very well be the last hearing I chair in Congress. While I am honored to have such a distinguished group of witnesses with us today to mark this occasion, I wish we were here to discuss a less sobering topic. At the same time, I am confident that, in the America COMPETES Act and the pending reauthorization bill, we have laid the groundwork to reverse the troubling trajectory laid out in this latest report and to ensure our competitiveness and long-term prosperity. I fully expect that the COMPETES reauthorization bill will be enacted by the end of the year, and that Congress will have once again answered this call to action.
Witnesses
Panel
1 - Mr. Norman R. Augustine
retired Chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation and former Under Secretary of the Army
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2 - Dr. Craig Barrett
retired Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation
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3 - Mr. Charles Holliday
Chairman of the Board of Bank of America and retired Chairman of the Board and CEO of DuPont
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4 - Dr. C.D. (Dan) Mote
President Emeritus of the University of Maryland and Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering
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