Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to " Secure American Leadership " in Science

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) has introduced legislation that would create a long-term strategy for investment in basic research and infrastructure to safeguard American scientific leadership and address climate change. The bill is cosponsored by 11 other Republican lawmakers in the House. The Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act (H.R. 5685) aims to tackle two challenges: competition for global scientific leadership that the US is facing from China, which has expanded public R&D funding by more than 50 percent between 2011 and 2016, and climate change. “If China surpasses us in critical technologies like quantum information science, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing it will have significant implications for our national security, for our economic competitiveness, and for our way of life,” said Lucas. “The United States must go on the offensive to maintain our scientific and technological leadership.” The bill would double federal investments in basic research over the next ten years at the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bill would also authorize investments in research infrastructure and support “an increase in key programs to grow the American pipeline of STEM-capable workers.” Lucas said that climate change ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news