Ranking Member Stevens' Opening Statement for Hearing on AI Action Plan
Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Haley Stevens (D-MI) opening statement as prepared for the record is below:
Thank you for holding today’s hearing, Mr. Chairman. I would also like to thank Mr. Kratsios for joining us today. I look forward to a thoughtful discussion on implementing the Administration’s AI Action Plan while protecting American workers.
You can’t talk about AI innovation and American competitiveness without talking about Michigan manufacturing, and you can’t talk about the future of manufacturing without talking about The National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST.
NIST is the “little agency that could” and is at the forefront of our efforts in artificial intelligence, quantum, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act that many of us in this room helped write and pass, NIST is bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to America to develop the next generation of AI chips right here at home.
NIST’s semiconductor work is critical to the Administration’s AI plan and yet for some reason, Mr. Kratsios, the administration is actively undermining this agency that’s long been supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Notably, the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget slashes NIST’s funding by $325 million and eliminates over 500 jobs from the agency’s lab program. These cuts hinder NIST’s AI-related efforts, weaken cybersecurity and privacy standards, and limit advanced manufacturing, physical infrastructure, and resilience innovation.
Given our shared goal of supporting next generation manufacturing in the U.S., I was particularly alarmed to see the Administration try to eliminate NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership program repeatedly last year. The MEP program is designed to support Michigan’s small and medium sized manufacturers adopt advanced technology and compete on the global stage. In 2024 alone, Michigan’s MEP Center created or saved 5,000 Michigan jobs. Yet, like every other MEP center, it was on the chopping block.
What makes even less sense is this Administration’s constant attacks on domestic chip manufacturing and the CHIPS and Science Act. The uncertainty that these manufacturers face at the whims of this Administration, despite clear Congressional desire to bring chip manufacturing back to America, has been appalling.
Additionally, I was surprised to learn this Administration arbitrarily cancelled the semiconductor-focused manufacturing USA institute in December—stalling years of progress.
Unfortunately, I could go on – and all of this is at just one agency. In Michigan and across the U.S., the Administration’s actions are losing us our best talent and institutional knowledge, shrinking and in some cases destroying our research capacity, and undermining our global competitiveness in science and technology. It’s going to cost us decades.
I will continue to do everything I can on this subcommittee to hold this Administration accountable, to stand up for the science that Michiganders rely on every single day, and to ensure Michigan and our country are innovating, building, and driving the future.
As a former NIST employee, I thank the public servants at NIST and across the scientific enterprise for their steadfast work to advance our common good. Director Kratsios, they need you in their corner. Thank you for coming before us today to discuss these important topics, and I look forward to hearing your testimony.
I yield back.
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