Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey, for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018, which includes the Commerce-Justice-Science funding bill that provides appropriations for many of the programs within the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's jurisdiction.

Chairman Culberson has worked closely with us on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to include responsible, pro-science funding levels for NASA, the National Science Foundation, NOAA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His consultation and cooperation are much appreciated. I thank Chairman Culberson and his clerk, John Martens, for their leadership in passing this legislation that sets America on a path to remain the world's leader in innovation.

The appropriations included in this legislation are consistent with the NASA Transition Authorization Act, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act, all three of which were enacted into law earlier this year.

The CJS bill fully funds the planetary science and exploration programs at NASA, implements a national interest standard for every NSF grant, and increases weather research and commercial data use to improve forecasting to save lives and property, which is especially timely today.

Later, I will offer an amendment, with Chairman Culberson's support, to increase basic research in the physical and biological sciences at the National Science Foundation. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this pro-science, fiscally responsible appropriations bill.

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