Doe and Nsf Interagency Research Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation Interagency Research Act, and I thank Congresswoman Haley Stevens for working with me on this bipartisan bill.

The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation are vehicles for some of our nation's cutting-edge scientific research. Combined, these agencies tackle the modern challenges of physics, quantum information sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and beyond. However, there is no clear directive for these organizations to work together.

This LegisLation explicitly directs the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the NSF to coordinate their activities to accelerate research and unlock new opportunities.

Operating in a silo is never the best practice when it comes to conducting scientific research, especially as our country looks to maximize the use of Americans' taxpayer dollars AND bolster our science and technology sectors to combat the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party.

With this bill, the Department of Energy and the NSF can maximize their impact through coordination and leveraging each other's investments in research and development. The United States has earned its reputation as a world leader in scientific research and innovation, and now more than ever, we must reinforce critical partnerships that promote these advancements.

As we face increased competition from Communist China, we must ensure WE lead the world in research and development, including in areas like Artificial Intelligence, so that our country--not Communist China-- continues to set the rules of the road.

Thank you again to Congresswoman Stevens for working with me on this commonsense, bipartisan approach that empowers American innovation. This legislation unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, and I hope we see this bill across the finish line this Congress.

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