Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

[This is a copy of Bingaman's speech as prepared. For full remarks, please watch the speech online.]

Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the devastating harm that will be done if HR 1 were to become law in a few areas that I have been paying particular attention to: science and technology, particularly in the energy area; border security and law enforcement; and education.

The first area of cuts I would like to talk about is one that will severely impact our nation for years to come and have the  effect of actually causing large job losses. That is in the area of science and energy innovation.

Last December, this Congress passed a reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. Its purpose was to authorize funding for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology for the next 3 years so that by fiscal year 2016 we will have completed a 10 year doubling effort of these agencies. I would like to note that this effort was first started by the Bush administration and has been carried forward by this administration. This effort has enjoyed strong bipartisan support, garnering endorsements from leading industry groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the Council on Competitiveness. These organizations recognize that the future of our nation depends on the strong scientific backbone of our work force to out-innovate our competitors around the world.

So it comes as a surprise to me to see large cuts being proposed by the House in their fiscal year 2011 funding bill to the very programs that will keep us competitive in the years ahead.

The Office of Science is the nation's largest supporter of the physical sciences, the very areas by which we supply a new stream of future scientists and engineers to companies like Intel or Ford Motor Company. The House bill proposes to cut the Office of Science by $1.1 billion or 22%. The result is an estimated reduction of 4,500 full time scientists and engineers working on basic endeavors in the area of energy science. It will terminate the Early Career Research program for young faculty and ongoing graduate programs in the energy sciences. National user facilities that the Office of Science runs for upwards of 27,000 researchers from industry and academia will be shuttered or drawn into stand-by status. This includes the 4 nanoscience centers across the United States which have had break through discoveries to propel our industries forward in the areas of solid state lighting, new drugs and microelectronics.

Let me talk about some of the other programs impacted in the Department. The Office of Nuclear Energy, which is leading the way to a new generation of smaller, less costly reactors at places like Oak Ridge and Idaho National Laboratories, will suffer,  and the ability to move this bipartisan program forward will cease.

In the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the House bill will result in over 31,000 homes that will not be weatherized, and by July 1 it is estimated upwards of 8,000 people who perform this work will be out of jobs. The program to mix coal with biomass, which shows great promise, will be eliminated as will programs to fund offshore wind.

Let me cite some other examples of the damage the House bill will have on the other agencies in the COMPETES Act.

The National Science Foundation will have reductions leading to the loss of 10,000 university researchers and graduate students.  Being so late in the year it will reduce the program to train teachers in math and science by 53 percent at a time when it is widely recognized other nation's are out-performing us in student test scores in this subject.

Mr. President, I would like to enter into the record two letters, the first by the Council on Competitiveness signed by Sam Allen Chairman and CEO of the Deere Company, Mike Splinter Chairman and CEO of Applied Materials, Chad Holliday Chairman of the Bank of America, William Hite, General President of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters and Deborah Wince – Smith the President and CEO of the Council, that letter succinctly states that "Scientific research and skilled workers are the basis for new ideas, new technologies, new products and services, new companies, even entirely new industries. The American economy cannot compete and grow if we neglect our capacity to innovate."

The other letter, Mr. President, from 175 universities, industries and laboratories, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, supports the goals outlined in the COMPETES Act and asking this chamber to reject the cuts adopted by the House funding bill. This letter states that "Congress took a very important step for our nation's future by reauthorizing the America COMPETES Act in 2010, reaffirming its commitment to the science and innovation essential to long-term economic growth. We urge you to continue implementation funding and to reject the cuts to research and STEM education adopted by the House in H.R. 1."

Homeland Security

Over the last several years, we have heard a lot from the Republican side about the need to bolster border security along our southern border and enhance homeland security capabilities. Unfortunately, their budget plan falls short in this respect.

The Continuing Resolution would severely impact the capabilities of the Department of Homeland Security and reduce essential assistance that is provided to organizations at the state and local level. This legislation would be a step back in terms of the progress we are making in securing our border and ensuring that communities and law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources to handle crime and respond to disasters.

With regard to border security, the House CR would reduce planned technological, fencing and security improvements along the southwest border. Specifically, the legislation would reduce interoperable communication capabilities and cut tactical communications modernization efforts by 50 percent, making it more difficult for law enforcement to respond to emergencies in a timely, coordinated manner, and eliminate technology pilot programs and contingency funds aimed at confronting emerging threats, such as low-flying aircraft and tunnel detection efforts.

The House bill also provides funding for 20,500 Border Patrol agents compared to the 21,370 funded in the Senate CR, which would maintain the force at the level funded in the border security emergency supplemental bill passed by Congress last August.

The measure would also severely impact aviation security initiatives – the number of Advanced Imaging Technology screening machines, canine teams, and explosive detection machines would all be slashed by over 50 percent.

FEMA grants that help state and local governments respond to and prepare for disasters would be reduced by about 20 percent.

The House bill would drastically cut back on DHS's cyber security plans – cyber security coverage of the federal civilian networks would be reduced from about 30 percent to 12 percent.

And with respect to the DHS science and technology directorate, the CR would reduce funding for research and development by about $600 million – which would mean the elimination of entire research areas, such as border security and cyber security, and the significant reduction in nuclear and explosives research and funding for projects at DOE national laboratories – including a potential reduction of $60 to 80 million for New Mexico's labs. It is critical that we make the investments in research and development now to ensure we stay ahead of emerging security threats.

Law Enforcement

The House CR also drastically cuts DOJ state and local law enforcement assistance programs that are critical in keeping our communities safe and preventing crime.

State and locals law enforcement grants are cut by 37 percent and juvenile justice programs are reduced by 45 percent. The bill also eliminates funding for the Weed & Seed program and reduces the COPS program by 25 percent – the Republican plan originally called for completely eliminating the COPS hiring program, which has been instrumental in keeping police officers in communities across New Mexico, but Democratic efforts in the House to restore the funding were successful. The proposed cuts to the Byrne law enforcement grant program would also result in a $1 million in drop in assistance coming to New Mexico.

Education

With respect to education, H.R. 1 contains draconian cuts that would limit opportunities for millions of Americans of all ages and educational levels. It would cut federal education spending by $11.55 billion, or 16.1%. This would be, if approved, the largest education cut in history.

H.R. 1 would cut Head Start by $1.1 billion (15%), resulting in about 2,000 fewer children in New Mexico receiving early childhood education services that prepare them for success in school.

It would cut Title I, which provides academic support to disadvantaged students in public schools, by $693 million. It would also cut the Pell grant maximum award by $845 (or 15.2%). 57,402 New Mexican students received Pell grants in the 2009-10 academic year, and more are expected to be eligible in coming years. Many low- and moderate-income students in New Mexico would find college less affordable and less accessible under H.R. 1.

These House-passed education cuts would devastate New Mexico's public education system, which is already facing severe state budget cuts. And they would limit our country's future economic competitiveness and security.

In contrast, the proposed Senate Democratic year-long continuing resolution proposal provides stability in federal education investments. It maintains the Pell grant maximum award while providing modest increases for Title I grants, Head Start, and other critical federal education programs. In today's fiscal climate, H.R. 1's drastic cuts to education investments are irresponsible and would have dire consequences for New Mexico and the country.