WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today gave opening remarks at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, "America COMPETES: Science and the U.S. Economy". Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.

We’re here today to discuss one of the government’s most visionary functions, the funding of basic scientific research. Everyone in the room may already be aware of this, but it’s worth repeating that the federal government funds nearly one third of all research and development in the United States, and that includes 60 percent of all academic research. 

Federal funding of basic research – those studies that give us the building blocks for new technologies and industries – is part of a pipeline that supports the U.S. economy and our global competitiveness.  

Now, we know that the results of basic research are inherently unpredictable: it is very hard to determine what investments will create the next economic miracle. But while the private sector sometimes avoids high-risk research that may only provide a return on investment over very long periods of time - or may provide little or no return at all - the government has stepped in.

These federal investments have allowed the best ideas to enhance our knowledge of the world and to create billion dollar industries. These investments led to GPS, biotechnology, 3D printing, and the Internet. They have supported multi-billion dollar companies that are global household names. They also continually support the creation of new businesses across the country, which The Science Coalition tracked in their latest report, “Sparking Economic Growth.”  I encourage you to read it.

These investments continue to help train our science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. And without these investments, we won’t have the next generation of researchers; we won’t have the next biotechnology industry; we won’t have the next Internet.  

What we will have is a stagnant economy. Looking at the debate we’re having in Congress about funding the government, well, that’s where we’re headed. The reckless shutdown has eroded confidence in the United States as a steadfast supporter of science. Researchers at our world leading labs were told to go home, including several Nobel laureates, and grants were delayed when 99 percent of the National Science Foundation was furloughed.  

The shutdown was a sudden, harmful event, yes, but the ongoing sequester is slowly but surely wearing away the foundation of U.S. scientific research. Sequestration’s indiscriminate cuts are costing us dearly. The National Science Foundation took a $356 million cut this past fiscal year and that number will continue to go down again under the Continuing Resolution. That means fewer grants, less support for young researchers, and even scientists moving their work abroad. It’s only going to get worse if we don’t fix the sequester and continue to invest in our world-class scientists.

Our competitors know that basic research is worth the investment, and while we constrain ourselves, they are spending more and catching up. That’s why, instead of retreating in the face of competition, we passed the America COMPETES Act in 2007 and the reauthorization in 2010 with the direction to double the funding for the National Science Foundation, major research accounts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. I will again push for reauthorization of this important legislation this Congress.

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