America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his kind words. More especially, I thank him for his great leadership. Few people who have served in this Congress and outside the Congress have done more to promote that ``science, science, science'' agenda than Bart Gordon.

Sadly, for Mr. Gordon, this will be the last bill that he will bring to the floor. I want to take the occasion to thank him for his tremendous leadership as chair of the Science and Technology Committee and for being a leader on these issues. When the report came out about the gathering storm, he was the first to say we need to not only respond to it, but he had already taken initiatives, recognizing what would be in that report, seeing what was happening to science, technology, engineering, math, and all the rest of it in our country. His departure from the Congress is a loss for us, but I know he takes with him this passion that he has for science. It is something that has served our country well in the Congress, and I know he will continue to do so outside the Congress.

So, Mr. Gordon, thank you for your tremendous leadership. I know I speak for everyone here when I say it is an honor to call you colleague, and that today would be a day, toward the end of the session, that we would be taking up your bill--this is your bill, Mr. Chairman.

On these occasions I am reminded, Madam Speaker, that nearly 50 years ago, in launching the initiative to send a man to the Moon and back safely within 10 years, President Kennedy summed up America's common commitment to innovation and competitiveness when he said, ``The vows of this Nation can be fulfilled only if we are first, and therefore we intend to be first. Our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves, as well as others, all require us to make this effort.''

Since then, Americans have lived up to those words. Science and technological innovation have formed the backbone of our progress as a people and our prosperity as a Nation. And today we have the opportunity to play one more part in that same tradition to support the COMPETES Act, to reaffirm our leadership in science and technology, to keep America first.

Again, few have done more for this Congress than Chairman Bart Gordon, who recognized the urgency of this challenge early on and has never stopped fighting to keep science and technology at the top of our agenda. And to the distinguished ranking member, one of the beauties of this agenda, this innovation agenda, is there's really nothing partisan about it. It isn't ideological. It's scientific. It is about keeping America number one and using the best resources technologically in our country to have us be competitive in the world economy.

In acting to update and extend the COMPETES Act, we will spur innovation, invest in cutting-edge research, modernize manufacturing, and increase opportunity. You know the provisions. Others have spoken to them. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) has talked about the importance of the STEM--education, science, technology, engineering and math--and how important that is not only to the fulfillment of our students but to competitiveness internationally and the success of our economy.

With this bill, we will lay the foundation for new industries that provide good jobs for our workers; that open new markets for our American products; that offer more students, more young people, and entrepreneurs a better chance to live out the American Dream.

Simply put, we will continue to ``rise above the gathering storm'' and keep America number one.

The COMPETES Act is a central component of our innovation agenda, rolled out by Democrats 5 years ago to ensure our Nation's economic competitiveness around the globe and double basic research funding.

Yes, as has been mentioned, the COMPETES Act was signed by President Bush and now will be signed by President Obama; but I wish to acknowledge that it was only when we got into the Recovery Act that we were able to get the substantial funding to move forward with these initiatives. We had a little downpayment before that, but we got serious about our commitment in the Recovery Act.

As part of that effort, again, we passed the Recovery Act, investing $17 billion for basic research and $19 billion to promote the adoption of health IT. We dedicated $11 billion to improve our smart grid capabilities and provided more than $7 billion to expand broadband access nationwide. It is very important for us to do so in rural areas. Through a series of actions, the Democrat-led Congress has extended broadband to rural and underserved areas, invested in clean energy jobs and energy independence, and helped spur the development of new technologies.

The America COMPETES Act builds on that record of achievement. This bill is about good-paying jobs for American workers, strong American leadership in the global economy, an investment in America's students, and long-term prosperity for America's families and businesses.

As I have said, as was mentioned by Mr. Kind, this bill passed the first time with overwhelming bipartisan support. I think the majority of Republicans voted for the bill the first time it was put forth, and now we are reauthorizing it.

What we are doing today is about echoing President Kennedy's call once more to fulfill the vows of our Nation, to make the effort to strengthen America's future, to be first. In voting ``aye'' today, we can come together for innovation, for competitiveness, and for our prosperity. I urge all of my colleagues to support the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act.

As I close, I once again want to salute Chairman Bart Gordon for his tremendous, tremendous leadership. He has a wealth of knowledge, a depth of understanding, a boundless commitment to the future.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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