Department of Energy Science for the Future Act

Floor Speech

I rise in support of H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act. This legislation, along with H.R. 2225, the NSF for the Future Act is a comprehensive and strategic approach for investing in American research and development.

For decades, America has been the global leader in science and technology development. That success is no accident. It is the result of two things: A cultural commitment to innovation and exploration, and a sustained investment in basic research.

This is what makes us uniquely successful. The Federal Government funds high-risk, high-reward basic research that expands our fundamental knowledge of science and technology. This research, which is too costly for the marketplace to fund, produces discoveries that can then be commercialized through private industry.

Our system maximizes taxpayer investment and takes advantage of strong public-private partnerships to keep America at the cutting edge of technological progress.

Unfortunately, our adversaries in China are investing more than us in R&D in an attempt to take over the lead in science and technology.

The way to stay ahead of China isn't adopting their method of a top- down, government-mandated, applied research agenda. It is to reinvest in the basic research, infrastructure, and STEM workers that have always driven American progress.

H.R. 3593 does just that. It is the first comprehensive authorization of the Office of Science, which is our Nation's largest Federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences. The DOE Science for the Future Act invests $50 billion over 5 years in the Office of Science and the national labs, national scientific user facilities, and the thousands of researchers its supports.

The DOE Science for the Future Act is an investment in our technological and clean energy future. It funds research into materials, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences, as well as fusion energy, advanced computing capacities, and cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum sciences.

We already know that investments in basic research pay large dividends. For example, basic research conducted in our national labs gave us improved hydraulic fracturing technology and allowed us to produce more clean natural gas. This reduced emissions, lowered energy costs for Americans, and helped us become a net total energy exporter for the first time in decades.

That is why everyone who cares about clean energy must care about the research supported by H.R. 3593. Investing in high-risk, early-stage research into cutting edge technologies is the only way to ensure that America stays at the head of the clean energy economy.

Another important provision in the DOE Science for the Future Act is the creation of a crosscutting Emerging Infectious Disease Research Initiative to build on DOE's work to better model, understand, and fight infectious diseases.

As they have shown time and again during the COVID-19 pandemic, our national labs have an important role to play in supporting public health. This legislation gives them the resources they need to continue this work.

H.R. 3593 also funds much-needed infrastructure updates for our national labs and user facilities. Our ability to conduct world-leading science depends on having access to world-leading equipment and facilities.

It also requires having skilled STEM professionals to conduct that research. Our bill includes workforce development and education provisions so that we have a thriving STEM pipeline to fill the technological jobs of the future.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3593 is a forward-looking bill that is badly needed right now to drive American progress and to keep us globally competitive.

As with the NSF for the Future Act, this legislation was drafted with extensive input in a bipartisan fashion, and the result is a strategic and responsible investment in the next generation of breakthrough energy technologies.

I thank my friend Chairwoman Johnson for all her work with me on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to pass this now. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, America's scientific and technological leadership is being threatened by the Chinese Communist Party, and we must act urgently to reinvest in our own research and development enterprise.

H.R. 3593 redoubles our commitment to the basic research conducted by the Department of Energy's Office of Science and our national laboratories. Together with the NSF for the Future Act, it is a comprehensive and sustainable approach to American competitiveness.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my staff for everything they have done to help draft this important legislation. I thank my friend, Chairwoman Johnson, and her staff for working with us to include Republican priorities and ensure that this is a truly bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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