[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 2, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1867) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 
     2010 for the National Science Foundation, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my 
strong support for H.R. 1867, which authorizes $21 billion in funding 
for the National Science Foundation over the next 3 years
  The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created by the National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, with a broad mission of supporting 
science, engineering and funding basic research across many 
disciplines. As the only agency dedicated to the support of education 
and fundamental research in all scientific and engineering disciplines, 
we must continue to be generous and fund the NSF at the necessary 
levels to remain at the forefront of discovery, learning, and 
innovation.
  In 1952, the NSF began by funding 28 research grants--in 2005 the 
number has grown to well over 10,000. In 2005, the agency received 
42,000 proposals for research, fellowships, and projects in science, 
mathematics, and engineering.
  There have been more than 100 Nobel Prize Winners and thousands of 
other distinguished scientists and engineers that have conducted their 
groundbreaking research with funding from the NSF.
  From successfully splitting the atom, to landing the first man on the 
moon, to mapping the human genome, it is because of our investment in 
science and technology that the United States can be credited for these 
accomplishments. The majority of the research supported by the NSF is 
conducted at U.S. colleges and universities and approximately 82.6% of 
its estimated research and development (R&D) budget for 2005 was 
awarded to U.S. colleges and universities.
  Today, we live in a global society and must continue to invest in our 
research and development to ensure we remain competitive in this global 
society. Every year, China and India graduate 950,000 engineers in 
comparison to the 70,000 the United States graduates each year. We must 
adequately fund and support the NSF, in order to be internationally 
competitive and continue to make those cutting-edge discoveries that 
have forever changed the way we view innovation.
  I thank Mr. Baird for bringing this legislation to the floor and 
encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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