Ranking Member Ross' Opening Statement at Hearing on The Genesis Mission
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Full Committee hearing titled, The Genesis Mission: Prioritizing American Science and Technology Leadership Power.
Ranking Member Deborah Ross' (D-NC) opening statement as prepared for the record is below:
Thank you, Chairman Babin, for convening today’s hearing on The Genesis Mission. I also want to thank Dr. Gil for being here this morning as our witness.
This initiative led by the Department of Energy is a strategic undertaking for the future of our nation’s prosperity and security. The Genesis Mission has the potential to double American research productivity within a decade by connecting national labs, universities, and industry to develop powerful AI platforms for science.
The core objective of the mission is to train scientific foundation models, automate research workflows, and boost research and development productivity. In doing so, America will continue accomplishing breakthroughs in advanced nuclear energy, fusion power, and grid modernization. It also solidifies our quantum ecosystem and fosters discoveries in materials science, biotechnology, and physics.
The initiative relies heavily on collaboration with academia and the private sector. In a budget-constrained environment, I am glad to see the Department of Energy prioritizing research infrastructure investments with universities. Universities serve as a crucial link in the public-private ecosystem, working alongside national laboratories and private sector innovators.
North Carolina State University in my district already plays a vital role in this project. NC State is the national leader in advanced materials, energy systems, AI and data science, high performance computing, and advanced manufacturing, all core pillars of The Genesis Mission. In the past three years, NC State has been awarded over $40 million in funding for research in AI and machine learning. Of all the universities in North Carolina, they do the most research with the Department of Energy.
It is important to acknowledge the severity of the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts to the Department of Energy and the effects these cuts will have on The Genesis Mission. The President’s FY26 budget request proposes an overall decrease of $3.5 billion, or 7%, from the FY25 enacted level of funding. These cuts have created conflict between the missions’ ambitious goals and the simultaneous termination of freezing billions of dollars of existing energy and research projects.
Firing world class scientists and pausing programs will hinder American innovation and our leadership in the world. With each dollar cut from the DOE, our adversaries gain the upper hand. For the United States to carry out The Genesis Mission successfully, we need the Department of Energy to be well supported and organized.
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