Committee Reviews President’s FY2013 R&D Budget Request
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to review President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 (FY13) budget request for research and development (R&D), demonstration, and commercial application programs. Testifying before the Committee was Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in her opening statement, “Investments in research and development and STEM education are critical to fostering innovation and maintaining our nation’s competitive edge. But these are also fiscally challenging times. In looking through the President’s R&D and STEM education budget, it is noticeable to me that the agencies are trying hard to be more efficient and achieve the most they can with modest increases and in many cases, having to absorb cuts…It is imperative to our future that we continue to prioritize investments that will advance our knowledge, create new industries and jobs, give our children the grounding in science and technology they will need to succeed in a competitive world economy, and improve the quality of life of our citizens. And I believe the President’s budget does just that.”
Dr. Holdren said in his testimony, “The Obama Administration believes that leadership across the frontiers of scientific knowledge is not merely a cultural tradition of our nation, but is also an economic and national security imperative. This Administration wants to ensure that America remains at the epicenter of the global revolution in scientific research and technological innovation that promises to generate new knowledge, create new jobs, and build new industries.”
Though Democrats were supportive of the President’s budget request, they expressed concerns about a number of elements of the R&D budget, including changes and cuts to NASA’s budget, cuts to STEM activities, and the funding for disaster prediction and warning..
“We will have some concerns and disagreements, but let me be clear. This is a good budget for research, innovation, and education under the circumstances,” said Ms. Johnson. “I look forward to working with the President and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the months ahead to make sure that the appropriations this Congress will eventually pass properly reflect the need to invest in our future.”
The Committee also welcomed a new Member, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), representing Oregon’s first district. Ms. Bonamici was recently elected in a special election to fill a vacant seat. After the hearing, Ms. Johnson said, “I look forward to working with Ms. Bonamici on the host of issues that this Committee deals with that are central to America’s future competitiveness and the well-being of our citizens.”
Next Article Previous Article