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Mr. Chairman, let me express my appreciation and respect for the chair as well as the ranking member of the subcommittee.
I really do respect the work, but I do rise in opposition to H.R. 2578. It represents a missed opportunity to help the Nation's research and innovation enterprise at a time when that help is urgently needed.
Until the mismatch between the House budget resolution and the needs facing our country is addressed, we are going to continue to fall behind, both in our efforts to maintain our global competitiveness and our efforts to maintain R&D capabilities we need right here at home.
As ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I would like to use some of my time to address some specific concerns that I have with the bill, which I elaborate on in my statement for the Record.
In short, the bill's report language would make arbitrary and ideologically driven cuts to NSF social sciences and geoscience research programs. In addition, the bill's funding would put NSF's new headquarters building at risk, adding cost growth and schedule delays.
With respect to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in addition to the funding cuts, I am particularly concerned about the report language that would gut the critical forensic standards activities already underway at NIST, as well as the bill's language that would covertly, without any hearings, debate, or authorizing legislation, eliminate an entire agency, the National Technical Information Service.
The bill would also make significant cuts to NOAA's budget, including climate research and NOAA's Polar Follow On weather satellite program.
Finally, the bill would make deep cuts to NASA's Earth Science Program, disrupting activities that will help us better understand our home planet and the climate change that is occurring right now.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, as I said before, the bill is a missed opportunity, and I cannot support it in its current form.
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