Rep. Gordon’s Grade for the Administration’s Science and Technology Portfolio: D
Today, Rep. Bart Gordon, Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Science, released a report on the failure of the Bush Administration and the Republican leadership in Congress to harness science and technology toward the solution of the Nation’s pressing problems. Rep. Gordon’s overall grade for the Republicans’ efforts in science and technology was a "D".
The report, entitled Science and Technology: The Untapped American Resource, describes Democratic priorities in these areas, as well as how Republicans in the Administration and Congress have undercut scientific integrity, starved scientific funding, and failed to create effective S&T policy in eight key areas:
- Supporting Technological Innovation to Create Good-Paying Jobs – Republicans have cut key programs which assist small businesses in meeting today’s technological challenges. Grade: F
- Leadership in Manufacturing – The nation’s manufacturers have no effective advocate in the Bush Administration. Grade: F
- Being Good Stewards of the Nation’s Space Program – The civilian space program has been dogged by indecision, false starts, and financial mismanagement. Grade: C-
- The Lack of Scientific Integrity – The use of science in setting health and environmental policy has been corrupted. Grade: D
- Reducing our Dependence on Foreign Oil – Republicans have failed to enact meaningful legislation to deal with energy dependence and record oil prices. Grade: C-
- Securing Cyberspace – There is no effective advocate in the Bush Administration for securing the computer networks which are the backbone of much of our Nation’s economy and safety. Grade: D
- Protecting the Right to Vote: Standards for Voting Technologies - The Administration has ignored a 2002 law insuring the reliability of voting machines. Grade: F
- The Future of American Science and Technology – Because of Republicans’ fiscal irresponsibility, funding prospects for science and technology programs over the next five years looks bleak. Grade: D
The Untapped American Resource details ways in which S&T policy has been allowed to drift in the Bush Administration, areas where Congressional oversight has been absent, and programs where funding has not been adequate to meet specific economic and social challenges. The report also documents efforts that Democrats have made, and would continue to make in positions of governance, on these matters.
In releasing the report, Mr. Gordon noted, "Half of all economic growth over the past few decades can be traced to technology, so this country’s future is closely linked to our science and technology policies. The previous Administration was creative in these policies – forming new partnerships, kick-starting new fields like nanotechnology, and providing a sound fiscal basis for future growth in research funding."
Gordon continued, "Republican stewardship of our S&T resources has been disastrous. They have had two new ideas in four years – hydrogen cars and sending humans back to the Moon. Hydrogen is fine, but it will not make a real dent in our energy problems for at least 25 years. And while I welcome a lunar exploration initiative, this Administration has yet to give us a credible funding plan or to demonstrate how it will accomplish the initiative without cannibalizing other essential scientific projects.
"The world is not standing still," Gordon noted. "While more and more nations are pinning their future economic hopes on advanced science and technology, and producing an increasing number of scientists to help them realize these hopes, Republicans running this Administration and this Congress have no new ideas and continue to dig a deeper fiscal hole for us. Without changes in leadership, our economy will not rebound with the kind of high-paying jobs that depend on effective science and technology policies."
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