[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIPLING THE INNOVATION BUDGET OVER THE NEXT DECADE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I wrote President Bush 
urging him to boldly triple the innovation budget--federal basic 
research and development--over the next decade.
  America today finds herself at a crossroads when it comes to leading 
the world in science and innovation. We can continue down the current 
path, as other nations continue to narrow the gap, or we can take bold, 
dramatic steps to ensure U.S. economic leadership in the 21st century 
and a rising standard of living for all Americans.
  Our current levels of investment in innovative research and 
development are not enough to keep us at the forefront. Countries such 
as China and India are quickly gaining ground on the United States and 
few people realize it.
  The United States faces stiff competition in sheer volume because our 
population is a fraction of that of China and India.
  In 2000, Asian universities accounted for almost 1.2 million of the 
world's science and engineering degrees and European universities 
accounted for 850,000. North American universities accounted for only 
about 500,000.
  Additionally, according to the National Science Foundation, the 
United States has a smaller share of the worldwide total of science and 
engineering doctoral degrees awarded than either Asia or Europe.
  This is most alarming when you consider that since 1980, the number 
of science and engineering positions in the United States have grown at 
five times the rate of positions in the civilian workforce as a whole. 
This trend should be setting off alarm bells, especially as more high-
tech products, and the high-tech jobs behind them, are located 
elsewhere.
  America has a proud history of rising to the occasion. We need to be 
mobilized as we were after the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik, 
when we made a commitment in the late 1950s to build our space program 
and greatly enhance our educational system in the name of national 
defense through the passage of the National Defense Education Act.
  Recently we fulfilled the commitment to double the National 
Institutes of Health budget to jump-start work on medical research to 
help find cures to debilitating and fatal diseases. Our nation must 
make a similar bold commitment to invest in the future of our country 
by tripling the innovation budget--federal basic research and 
development--over the next decade.
  I believe that a bold initiative like this is necessary to ensure for 
future generations that America continues to be the innovation leader 
of the world.
  I know my colleagues share my concern about the future 
competitiveness of American industry and are committed to improving job 
opportunities for all Americans. Your attention will send a clear 
message about the gravity of this situation.

                                Congress of the United States,

                                      Washington, DC, May 3, 2005.
     Hon. George W. Bush,
     The President, the White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: America today finds herself at a 
     crossroads when it comes to leading the world in science and 
     innovation. We can continue down the current path, as other 
     nations continue to narrow the gap, or we can take bold, 
     dramatic steps to ensure U.S. economic leadership in the 21st 
     century and a rising standard of living for all Americans.
       I know you share my concern about the future 
     competitiveness of American industry and are committed to 
     improving job opportunities for all Americans. However, our 
     current levels of investment in innovative research and 
     development are not enough to keep us at the forefront. 
     Countries such as China and India are quickly gaining ground 
     on the United States and few people realize it. This trend 
     should be setting off alarm bells, especially as more high-
     tech products, and the high-tech jobs behind them, are 
     located elsewhere.
       The United States faces stiff competition in sheer volume 
     because our population is a fraction of that of China and 
     India. In 2000, Asian universities accounted for almost 1.2 
     million of the world's science and engineering degrees and 
     European universities accounted for 850,000. North American 
     universities accounted for only about 500,000. Additionally, 
     according to the National Science Foundation, the United 
     States has a smaller share of the worldwide total of science 
     and engineering doctoral degrees awarded than either Asia or 
     Europe. This is most alarming when you consider that since 
     1980, the number of science and engineering positions in the 
     United States have grown at five times the rate of positions 
     in the civilian workforce as a whole.
       Foreign advances in basic science also now often rival or 
     even exceed America's, and published research by Americans is 
     lagging. Physical Review, a series of top physics journals, 
     last year tracked a reversal in which American scientific 
     papers, in two decades, dropped from the most published to 
     minority status. In 2004--the most recent year statistics are 
     available--the total number of American papers published was 
     just 29 percent, down from 61 percent in 1983.
       America also is losing ground in the area of patents. The 
     percentage of U.S. patents has been steadily declining as 
     foreign nations, especially in Asia, have become more active 
     and in some fields have seized the innovation lead. The U.S. 
     share of its own industrial patents now stands at only 52 
     percent. Another measuring stick is number of Nobel prizes 
     won. From the 1960s through the 1990s, American scientists 
     dominated. Now, the rest of the world has caught up as our 
     scientists only win about half of the Nobel prizes with the 
     rest going to Britain, Japan, Russia, Germany, Sweden, 
     Switzerland, and New Zealand.
       Federal research support serves two essential purposes. 
     First, it supports the research required to fuel continued 
     innovation and economic growth. Second, because much of it 
     takes place at the nation's colleges and universities, it 
     plays a critical role in training our next generation of 
     scientists, engineers, mathematicians and others who will 
     comprise the future scientific and technological workforce. I 
     am concerned that with the current levels of federal 
     investment in research and technology our country will fall 
     victim to the fierce manpower competition we face from 
     developing countries.
       America has a proud history of rising to the occasion. We 
     need to be mobilized as we were after the former Soviet Union 
     launched Sputnik, when we made a commitment in the late 1950s 
     to build our space program and greatly enhance our 
     educational system in the name of national defense through 
     the passage of the National Defense Education Act. Most 
     recently we fulfilled the commitment to double the National 
     Institutes of Health budget to jump-start work on medical 
     research to help find cures to debilitating and fatal 
     diseases.
       Our nation must make a similar bold commitment to invest in 
     the future of our country by tripling the innovation budget--
     federal basic research and development--over the next decade. 
     We need to inspire young people to study math and science. As 
     chairman of the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations 
     subcommittee, I understand the difficult budget environment 
     the nation is facing. But bold leadership from the White 
     House will help establish this as a national priority in your 
     next budget request to the Congress.
       We must ensure for future generations that America 
     continues to be the innovation leader of the world. Investing 
     in research and development is a critical part of optimizing 
     our nation for innovation, a process that will require strong 
     leadership and involvement from government, industry, 
     academia and labor. We must choose whether to innovate or 
     abdicate.
       I urge you to seize this opportunity to rally our nation to 
     the cause of innovation and stand ready to assist you in this 
     21st century challenge. I hope you will work with Congress, 
     with manufacturers and other producers and services 
     providers, and with the academic and scientific communities 
     to develop the necessary consensus that will ensure America 
     will remain the world's leader in innovation. The competitive 
     and economic future of America is at stake.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
                                               Member of Congress.




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