Chairwoman Johnson Opening Statement for Committee Organizational Meeting
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding an organizational meeting to adopt the Committee Rules for the 116th Congress.
Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson’s (D-TX) opening statement is below.
I am excited about the upcoming Congress and I think we will do some good bipartisan things on this Committee. I always say, the Science Committee is about the future. Of all the committees here in the House of Representatives, ours is the only one that really truly examines the future in a profound way.
I view our jobs on this Committee as ensuring that the United States remains the world leader in science and innovation, and very importantly, has the right educational and workforce development programs so that we can also remain the best and most qualified workforce in the world. I think, and I hope, that this focus will lend itself to bipartisan efforts by the Committee.
This Committee works best when Members from both sides of the aisle are invested in its work product. Even on more contentious topics like climate change, it would be my hope that the Science Committee will be a place for bipartisanship as we will be looking at innovative solutions to the problem. And to be clear, we are not a committee that writes tax or regulatory law, but one that focuses on the ways that science and technology can address this critical issue.
Today we take up a Rules package that reflects my desire to get off on the right foot. The changes we are proposing today are largely to take the Committee back to more of the practices we had in the past. In some cases, that includes more consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, Mr. Lucas. I welcome that consultation. I think this Committee has, in the past, worked better when the Chair and Ranking Member worked collaboratively. Obviously, there may come times where Mr. Lucas and I disagree. But I hope to do so respectfully, and without trampling on the rights of the Members of the Committee.
I look forward to working with all of the Members of the Committee this Congress.
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