As the last few days of summer fade away the last few minutes of sunlight, kids refresh their calculators with new batteries for the upcoming school year and teachers return to the classroom to make sure every computer is turned on, ready to go.
It’s amazing to think of all the advanced technology that enables everyone to get ahead in life – many of which would have been unimaginable 20 years ago.
Without decades of government investment in technology development, the cell phone you hold in your hand today would cost about $10,000 and be the size of a room. There are thousands of examples like this – where federal funds have played a role in the science and technology industries, resulting in development and public goods that benefit all Americans.
With the recent signing of the CHIPS and Science Act, in the midst of my victory in New Mexico, some have questioned what this new funding will do for the American people. All you have to do is look at our country’s technological and scientific progress and ask yourself: where would we be today if the US government didn’t invest in us?
The US Senator of New Mexico, Dennis Chávez and other legislators back in the middle of the century knew that to advance our country’s economy and growth, there had to be financial assistance and support invested in research and development.
The collective support of science and technology led to the mass-production of microchips for computers and mobile phones, and people suddenly connected to each other like never before. But the technology boom of the ’90s and early 2000s eventually gave way to a steady decline in funding, public and private, in America’s next great idea. Companies were looking for alternatives overseas. And it became clear and urgent that our government had to do something.
This is why Congress has taken action to support federal funding for scientific development and technological advancement here at home. The CHIPS and Science Act is an important piece of legislation that represents the most important step in US science and technology in a generation.
I was proud to maintain a long list of investments that will directly benefit New Mexico, which is home to two of the most prestigious Department of Energy national laboratories, Los Alamos and Sandia.
The Act will direct $16 billion to strengthen DOE’s future research and development in 10 key technology areas, including clean energy and energy efficiency, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and quantitative information science.
I know our country needs improved equipment and infrastructure if we are to continue to lead the country in scientific research and innovation. That’s why I helped secure $1.4 billion for revitalizing the nation’s laboratories, of which $2 billion will be available immediately thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. From improving infrastructure and roads to investing in the latest scientific instruments, these funds not only support the technological capabilities of our laboratories, but also create well-paying local jobs.
In addition, this legislation enacts a proposal I have championed for years: a nonprofit foundation to support DOE’s mission to bring new technologies to market and help individual stations and philanthropic funds advance clean energy and make our nation safer.
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And while the list goes on and on about what this bill will do for American research and development in the 21st century, I am proud of the investment of clean energy Congress has put back into our communities. Between this and the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate legislation ever passed in Congress, the US is emerging as a global climate leader.
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I see it in the eyes of the scientists and researchers at Sandia and Los Alamos labs – the hunger to do what has never been done before.
Since returning home to New Mexico after passing this historic investment, I can’t wait to see the wheel of innovation re-energized with this money. And the reasons why we worked to save this New Mexico investment will soon begin to come – new ideas, more jobs, and renewed hope that America will continue to compete in the global economy of the future.
