Subcommittee Reviews NIST’s FY2013 Budget Request
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget request for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Testifying before the Subcommittee was the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST, Dr. Patrick Gallagher.
“Although NIST is a relatively small agency, it is an extremely important player in federal efforts to spur innovation and economic prosperity in this country,” said Ranking Member Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) in her opening statement. “For more than 100 years, NIST has supported the competitiveness of U.S. industry by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. NIST’s broad and deep technical expertise, as well as its ability to serve as a bridge to U.S. businesses, is unparalleled.”
The President’s FY2013 budget request would provide a total of $857 million for NIST, representing a 14 percent ($106.2 million) increase over the FY 2012 enacted level with over half of the proposed increase focused on advanced manufacturing research.
Ms. Edwards said, “I am pleased that the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget request draws on the strengths of NIST and gives the agency a prominent role in the Administration’s strategy to revitalize American manufacturing. Since 2000, the U.S. has lost over 650,000 high-tech manufacturing jobs. Our trade deficit in advanced technology products is growing and China is now the world’s biggest exporter of high-technology goods. The truth is that our position as the global leader in innovation and technology is being threatened as developing countries build up their capabilities to become not only the technology assembly line, but also the creator of new and innovative technologies. The Administration’s budget proposal includes a number of initiatives that can reverse these disturbing manufacturing trends.”
Democratic Members expressed general support for the budget request. Members highlighted the essential role of NIST in a number of areas, including cybersecurity and forensic science, and the way in which the fiscal year 2013 budget request bolsters NIST’s relevant activities. Additionally, Ms. Edwards stressed the importance of accelerating the development of promising technologies that hold the potential for significant commercial payoff and widespread public benefit, and expressed concern about the void left by the termination of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP). Ranking Member Edwards went on to state that she is interested in exploring the creation of a new program or mechanism at NIST to fill this void.
Dr. Gallagher said, “The FY2013 NIST budget request reflects the Administration’s recognition of the important role that NIST plays in innovation, as well as the impact that the research and services NIST provides can have on moving the Nation forward by laying the foundation for long-term job creation and prosperity.”
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