Doe and Nsf Interagency Research Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, hopefully, our friends and colleagues in the other Chamber are listening because we are moving once again to pass an incredible piece of legislation, H.R. 1350, the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act, that I and Dr. Jim Baird have introduced yet again to see it, hopefully, pass in the House, and we eagerly await the Senate to take it up.

Simply put, H.R. 1350 authorizes collaborative research between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation in areas that are essential to our national competitiveness. This legislation will build on the longstanding partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to leverage the unique investments and expertise in a wide range of fields, including quantum science, artificial intelligence, fusion energy, and, of course, advanced manufacturing.

Alongside these research partnerships, this legislation also authorizes collaborative initiatives in education, training, and development to build a stronger workforce in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

Lastly, this legislation promotes secure data and information transfer capabilities between these agencies so that we are not working in silos but are working together in a safe and secure environment to develop a shared, agile data ecosystem.

In August 2024, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute updated its dataset, exposing a dramatic shift in U.S. technology leadership. Once dominant in 60 of the 64 critical technologies, according to this policy institute, the U.S. now leads in just 7. China has surged from 3 to 57 since the start of the century.

This is not to put a wet blanket on our incredible country and our innovation capabilities. We want to be measuring, coordinating, and strategic, and we want to be effective stewards of any taxpayer dollars, which is why this bill is not appropriating any such thing.

We are in a wake-up call moment, but this isn't over. To reclaim our edge, we have to empower our top science agencies to unite, to collaborate, and to drive the innovation necessary to lead before any of our competitors seek to leave us behind. That is why we have this bill. As the chair said, this has passed the House. Our colleagues in the Senate just need to do their jobs.

This collaboration between NSF and the DOE is not new. In fact, they have an extensive history of joint activities, such as support for the development of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a world-class tool for scientific discovery and astronomy located in Chile. We are proud of that partnership.

A testament to the power of these collaborations, this observatory just reached a major milestone with the installation of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the LSST, the largest digital camera ever built. This facility will soon be ready to scan the sky for the next 10 years, creating an ultrahigh definition, time-lapsed record of our universe.

The DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act strengthens the legislative foundation of our beloved CHIPS and Science Act, a landmark bill that enables both agencies to foster a more collaborative research environment to maximize their collective impacts for our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, this bipartisan legislation falls upon us, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird), my dear friend and one of my favorite colleagues--if that is okay and germane to say--for his collaboration on this bill. We are both midwesterners. He is an incredibly accomplished academic, veteran, and businessman from an important part of our Nation. I have had the sincere privilege of collaborating on legislation with the gentleman since we were first sworn into Congress.

Mr. Speaker, we are again partnering on H.R. 1350, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill, as I have done in other sessions, so that we can implore the Senate to do their part. We are introducing this bill early in the 119th session. We will pass it through the House and, hopefully, see this become law.

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