Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007

SCIENCE, STATE, JUSTICE, COMMERCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (House of Representatives - June 27, 2006)

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, this Nation's investment in the sciences is not only the right thing to do; it is critical to our very survival as a global leader. Throughout the 20th century, one of the strengths of the United States was our knowledge-based resources, particularly science and technology. But now we are at a crossroad and we have the ability to continue to strengthen the scientific and technological foundations of our economic leadership, which appear to be eroding at a time when many other nations are building their innovative capacity.

Recently, Chemical and Engineering News reported that 75 percent of all new R&D sites are planned to be established in China and India over the next 3 years. Currently, China awards 59 percent of its undergraduate degrees in the areas of science and engineering, compared with 32 percent in the United States.

As chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, I believe the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should be funded at a higher level than the President's request, but I know the realities of funding allocations.

Aviation is currently the country's largest manufacturing export. The average sales in the aerospace industry is about $200 billion a year. It is one of the main contributors to our global competitiveness. We are main contributors to our global competitiveness. We are facing an increasing economic challenge from abroad and cannot take a chance of faltering. If we begin to slip in the wrong direction, reversing directions is even more difficult.

As my friend, Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist for the Hayden Planetarium, has told me, ``Much work remains to convince the public and Congress of America's need for sustained investment in NASA, with returns on education, the economy and the security. It is not just about Tang and Velcro; it is about a way of enabling the future we all want to occupy.''

The House Appropriations Committee has done a great job in trying to funnel funding into the science agencies within its jurisdiction, despite its very tight allocation. I want to commend those members of the committee and ask this body to support this carefully balanced appropriations bill. We cannot move funding from science to the other areas, and we cannot rob Peter to pay Paul by moving funding from one science agency to another.

I urge my colleagues to vote against any amendments that would strip NASA of funding to add to other accounts, regardless of how well-intended those other programs may be.

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