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April 10, 2013

Ranking Member Johnson Statement on the President’s FY2014 Budget Request

(Washington, DC) – Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) offered the following statement after the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget:

“There is a lot to digest in the budget request from the President, so I will simply give my initial reactions to the parts of the budget that fall under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, namely, our federal investments in research and development and STEM education. 

“While there are specific elements of the budget request for the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Committee that are going to require scrutiny, such as the reorganization of STEM education programs, I am pleased to see the President’s commitment to R&D and education.  For example, the budget request includes increased funding for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The President’s budget stands in stark contrast to the Republican budget introduced earlier this year.  That budget made significant cuts to the spending that funds programs such as those that help develop advanced manufacturing and clean energy technologies, and those that lead to breakthroughs in areas like materials science and space exploration.  It also cut the spending for STEM education that helps our children be prepared for the jobs of the future.

“I am also pleased to see that the President’s budget trims the deficit while undoing the short-sighted, irresponsible cuts to critical programs and activities that went into place last month as a result of sequestration.  Most of us have not yet felt the damage caused by the sequester. I am certain that none of us want to see NOAA’s ability to warn the public about natural disasters compromised, or the stoppage of research at the Department of Homeland Security that helps keep Americans safe, or delays of critical upgrades to the Nation’s air traffic control systems.  Those are just a few of the negative impacts we will be dealing with if we do not come to a consensus on how to address the sequester.   

“I sincerely hope that I can work with the President and my colleagues to ensure that any appropriations passed by this Congress allow for investments in the programs that will help us remain competitive in a challenging world economy.  Investments in science and STEM education have a long history of providing economic and societal benefits to the American people, and they will continue to do so if they are properly funded.”