Pelosi: Recovery Act Funding for Scientific Research Just the Beginning of a Sustained Commitment to Science

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Rush Holt, Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey, Congressman Bill Foster, and Robert Shelton, President of the University of Arizona, held a press conference this afternoon to highlight the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the science and research community. The Recovery Act provided $22 billion for scientific research and development at universities, to establish new facilities, and to purchase lab equipment. Below are the Speaker's remarks as prepared:

"First, I want to thank Congressman Rush Holt. A physics researcher before running for office, Congressman Holt helped ensure that the Recovery Act included a robust investment in scientific research. As co-chair of the R&D Caucus, he organized last year's Princeton Roundtable. As a former educator, he is leading the drive for excellence in math and science for our students, helping establish TEACH grants to open college doors to young people committed to teaching science and math after graduation.

"As chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, Bart Gordon is a leading voice on innovation in Congress. He authored the American COMPETES Act to improve math and science education, increase our investment in scientific research, and help our country achieve energy independence.

"Robert Shelton, the President of University of Arizona, has led Arizona to its ranking among the top public research universities nationwide. Its researchers in areas such as optics, water, and astronomy set the standard around the world. The university is raising up the next generation of great American scientists and paving the way for innovation and cutting-edge research.

"Science Works for Us is leading the way in tracking our achievements in science and lighting the way to a greater commitment to research. The web site Scienceworksforus.org - which highlights the way Recovery Act funds have made their way into academic laboratories - reflects what's possible when smart investments in the public sector are placed in the hands of our scientists, innovators, and academies of higher learning. This initiative is built on a simple fact of our history: innovation rests at the heart of American success and leadership.

"From the scientific community to university campuses to the halls of Congress, all Americans are heirs to a tradition of innovation - a legacy that brought us radio and television, phone lines and the internet; a history that took us to the moon and laid the foundation for a clean energy future. As President Kennedy said "˜The vows of this nation can only be fulfilled 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.'

"This legacy brought us together one year ago in Princeton: to renew our national commitment to basic scientific research; to continue our national conversation about the centrality of research, technology, and innovation to our economic recovery and long-term growth. Under Congressman Holt's leadership, that meeting ignited a spark of creativity for our recover efforts.

"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was designed to both stimulate the economy and transform it. The bill included the largest funding boost for research in history, $3 billion for the National Science Foundation to expand employment opportunities, improve facilities, and bolster math and science instruction, $2 billion for the Department of Energy for basic research and laboratory improvements, $360 million for the National Institutes of Standards and Technology to help improve research science buildings at our universities, $220 million for research fellowships, equipment and competitive grants. These funds supported research at more than 140 universities and facilities nationwide, and created good-paying jobs in the process.

"The commitments of the Recovery Act are central to our "˜Innovation Agenda' - policies that understand that our competitiveness relies on a sustained financial and intellectual investment in innovation. This strategy led us to accelerate funding for basic research, create the next generation of advanced research entities like ARPA-E, pass the American COMPETES Act to provide the legislative framework for these commitments. As the Science Works for Us website will show, that investment is paying off across the country.

"Science Works for Us is setting the stage for the next great chapter of American innovation. Through this web site and our ongoing support for researchers across the country, we will ensure that the Recovery Act was not the end of our investment in innovation, but the beginning of a sustained commitment to science. Working with all of our partners, we know we can build on our legacy of scientific achievement and open new doors to the technologies of tomorrow."