[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8829-S8830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 5100

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I was prepared to come to the floor today 
to seek unanimous consent to pass H.R. 5100, a bill to temporarily 
extend the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business 
Technology Transfer Programs until September 30, 2026.
  However, because Senator Ernst is unavailable to state her objection 
to the bill, I have decided not to call for unanimous consent at this 
time.
  I want to express my condolences to Senator Ernst, a combat veteran 
who served in the Iowa National Guard, for the tragedy in Syria that 
killed two and injured three Iowa National Guard members.
  The bill I would have brought to the floor today would have re-opened 
the SBIR and STTR programs, which have been shut down now for more than 
70 days. The bill was unanimously passed by the House, led by the 
Republican chairs of the House Small Business Committee and House 
Science Committee.
  Since the SBIR and STTR programs closed their doors, I have heard 
from hundreds of small businesses across the country that are being 
forced to lay off employees, cease critical research, and may soon have 
to close their doors for good. Passing H.R. 5100 is not just a matter 
of policy; it is about whether small innovative companies can survive. 
This is the only real path that will immediately reopen this program 
while we continue to negotiate. Each day the program is shut down, the 
further behind our innovation economy falls.
  The fate of this program lies in the hands of six negotiators: the 
chair and ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee, the 
chair and ranking member of the House Small Business Committee, and the 
chair and ranking member of the House Science

[[Page S8830]]

Committee. Five of these six negotiators agree that the best path 
forward is to temporarily extend the SBIR and STTR programs, to keep 
them running while we continue to negotiate reforms and a longer 
reauthorization. We have been working to try and find a path forward 
for a long-term reauthorization and will continue to do so, but we have 
yet to find a solution that does not irreparably harm innovative small 
businesses, nor have we found a solution that meaningfully addresses 
foreign due diligence concerns. The SBIR and STTR programs have 
produced technologies that have changed Americans' lives: the world's 
smallest heart pump, new cancer therapies, Alzheimer Disease 
treatments, GPS, and Qualcomm wireless communications systems.
  I am disappointed that these programs have been forced to shut down, 
ending funding for the most cutting-edge technologies being developed 
by our most nimble allies, small businesses. I am disappointed that a 
company in Pennsylvania may have to cease scaling their patented brake 
technology due to the lapse in the programs. I am disappointed that a 
company in Virginia producing the next generation of energy 
technologies is being forced to put their research on hold until these 
programs are re-opened. And I am disappointed that a company in Texas 
must put its progress towards unlocking unprecedented spacecraft 
maneuvering for our Agencies on hold.
  Just because we are unable to come to a long-term solution today does 
not mean we should decimate a critical part of our innovation ecosystem 
by keeping these programs closed. In May, I introduced a 52-page bill 
with my long-term vision for the programs. I want to provide small 
businesses with the certainty they deserve by making the programs 
permanent, ensuring we do not watch the clock hit zero like this again.
  I want to increase how much Agencies are required to allocate for 
these programs to maximize our innovation potential. I want to 
strengthen our commercialization efforts through allowing direct to 
phase II authority for all Agencies, as well as better data collection, 
better training, and specifically designated commercialization 
officers. I want to increase the number of new entrants by 
reauthorizing and codifying new programs that aim to reach underserved 
populations. And, like all of my colleagues, I want to make sure that 
our technology never falls into the hands of our adversaries.
  That is why I want to continue the bipartisan foreign due diligence 
program enacted in 2022, which has already successfully identified and 
mitigated foreign risk in its short period of implementation. If it 
were just up to me, I would want my bill to pass tomorrow. However, I 
understand that is not possible. That is why I have joined the four 
House negotiators in supporting a temporary extension while we figure 
out the long-term path forward that not only preserves our innovation 
ecosystem but supercharges it.
  As a long-time champion of the SBIR and STTR programs, I will 
continue to fight to protect the innovation ecosystem and the small 
businesses that support it.

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