Gordon: On Jobs/Innovation, Actions Speak Louder Than Words
In President Bush’s State of the Union address this evening the topics of U.S. competitiveness and jobs were addressed and attention by the Administration was assured.
U.S. House Science Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) released the following statement following the State of the Union remarks:
"I welcome the President’s recognition of the challenge facing the U.S. in the global marketplace. Like the old adage notes, 'actions speak louder than words' and I’ll be looking for a serious, sustained commitment to innovation in the President’s budget request next week."
"Innovation is not a partisan issue, it’s a practical one. Without it, the U.S. economic outlook will wither on the vine as other countries grow stronger."
"Providing high quality jobs for hard working Americans must be our first priority - and in order to accomplish that, we must be proactive."
"Last year, wages for working Americans rose by the smallest amount in nine years and savings rates for Americans actually declined. Americans are now spending everything they’re making, pushing the national savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression. We have to take steps to reverse these trends now."
"I have already introduced a package of legislation that does what the President called for and will move us toward sustained global economic leadership. My bills are based on expert recommendations from leading U.S. decision makers on a National Academy of Sciences panel. Since the President’s comments tonight seem to reflect his support for progress on this issue, I urge him to help us enact the panel’s findings."
That report - entitled Rising Above the Gathering Storm - was requested of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) by Rep. Gordon and fellow legislators. The NAS assessed the future of U.S. competitiveness and released its recommendations last fall. Rep. Gordon’s legislative package directly implements the recommendations of the Academy panel.
The Gordon legislation remains the only House legislation that expressly implements the Academy report’s recommendations to enact the changes necessary to keep America #1 both in the global marketplace and in the classroom. A similar bipartisan U.S. Senate package was introduced last week.
The Gordon package includes H.R. 4434, 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act; H.R. 4435, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Act; and H.R. 4596, Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act.
Detailed summaries of each bill are available by clicking the links above or at left.
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