Stop Trump's Chaos--Stand Up for Science

Floor Speech

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Mr. WHITESIDES. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Stevens for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, my name is George Whitesides, and I represent California's 27th Congressional District.

Before I was a Member of Congress, I served as the Chief of Staff of NASA and later as the CEO of an aerospace company that created hundreds of well-paying jobs in the Antelope Valley. I have a degree in remote sensing with GIS. I grew up in a science family. My dad is a chemist and a professor. I have worked on new and innovative ways to tackle our wildfire crisis, a growing threat that the people I represent know all too well.

I know from firsthand experience that the United States is home to the smartest, most hardworking, and most impressive minds of our time who have dedicated their lives to helping families across the country fight deadly diseases, predict and prevent natural disasters before they hit, and mount a challenge against our foreign rivals like China.

However, we can't continue this important work without our scientific institutions.

Recently, our biggest scientific agencies have come under a full- scale attack with the administration's proposed budget effectively annihilating the very science that keeps us safe. Programs that previously had broad, bipartisan support, such as the Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure fund, EPA's drinking water and clean water funds for States, forestry operations, energy utility assistance for low-income households, science and technology programs, and agricultural support are all on the chopping block.

At NASA, satellites that allow us to understand weather patterns, monitor our changing climate, and track fires as they move and spread are at risk of being deorbited. Employees in my home district who work at NASA Armstrong and JPL have no idea what their futures hold.

NOAA, an organization that helps families across the country prepare for natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, is being gutted from the ground up.

The NIH, which works on groundbreaking cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease, has supplied significantly fewer grants and awards to scientists than in previous administrations, effectively halting our work on critical medical advances.

From February to April, the administration terminated nearly 700 grants across 24 NIH institutes and centers focused on subjects such as aging, cancer, child health, diabetes, mental health, and neurological disorders.

We are not only losing the promise of progress and cures and climate technology, we are losing critical data that allow us to better understand the world we live in and respond to growing threats that we face, both foreign and domestic.

That is why today I led my colleagues with similar scientific backgrounds to let the administration know exactly what will happen to our Nation if they gut these science agencies. A letter was sent to the President drawing on our diverse backgrounds and constituencies to let him know exactly why science is a good investment for the future of our children and for our country.

Make no mistake, we can always be better and more efficient, and these are ideals that we should all strive for. These are ideals that Americans fairly demand from their government, and we should all be working toward that challenge.

When I helped lead NASA for President Obama, we constantly iterated and improved our existing systems because we knew how important it was to stretch the taxpayer dollar as far as it can go.

Taking a sledgehammer and a chain saw to entire institutions that allow us to stay safe and also remain competitive on the global scale is not only unwise, it is dangerous.

The bottom line is that science is an incredible investment for jobs today and for the future of our country.

I am going to keep fighting for the families across my district who need NASA satellites to know if their houses are going to be safe from fires, for seniors who need medical advancements to live long and healthy lives, and for red States and blue States that will be hit by tornadoes and hurricanes in the months and years to come.

I am here to stand up for families in my district and across the country who will be less safe and more at risk as a result of these cuts. I am here as an innovator and entrepreneur to stand up for science.

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