Who Said That? Notable S&T Quotes of 2005

Compiled by Richard M. Jones

Following are some of the more notable science and technology quotations that appeared in the American Institute of Physics (AIP) FYI Newsletter in 2005. Our thanks to Richard M. Jones at AIP's Media and Government Relations Division for compiling and sharing these quotes with us. Readers wishing to see the context of these quotations should consult FYI at www.aip.org/fyi/2005. The number in quotations refers to the FYI issue number.

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On S&T Funding...

"I would hopefully be viewed as a strong voice in support of science generally, physical sciences in particular, in the Administration."

 — Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman (#10)

"The budget is not flat, but pretty close."

— OSTP Director John Marburger on the FY 2006
R&D budget request sent to the Congress (#15)

"We have fallen off the path for doubling NSF's budget, but we must not give up."

— Senator Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) (#27)

"I don't doubt that science growth will have to be restrained in this budget environment ... But I think we have to think long and hard about whether it is in the long-term interest of the United States to have a multi-year period of real dollar cuts in spending on R&D."

— Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) (#45)

"And the point is simply that the funding for science this year is just inadequate. I recognize the tough budget, I recognize the tough times, I recognize the military necessities we have. But we seem to forget the important role that research and education plays in our national defense and also in our national prosperity ... the money we're putting into science is likely, for the long term, much more important for the defense of this nation than any money we're spending this year on the Defense budget."

— Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) on the FY 2006 Administration S&T request (#45)

"We are in the unpleasant circumstance of having to take from Peter to pay Paul."

— Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) in support of his amendment to shift
proposed funding from NSF to a law enforcement program (#92)

"If we cut back the National Science Foundation, we are eating our own seed corn, we are eroding the ability of this economy to grow, we are weakening the ability of this society to increase human knowledge, and we are weakening our efforts to improve health as well."

— Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) on the above Weiner amendment (#92)

"I'm terribly concerned . . . that we're on track to a second-rate economy."

— Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) (#164)

"It seems to me that this is a time when the Nation needs to invest in science, not cut programs. At the Jefferson Lab we need to invest in the 12GeV upgrade necessary to sustain the pace of scientific discovery, not cut programs."

— Senator John Warner (R-Va.) on the FY 2005
DOE nuclear physics program budget reduction (#168)

On Competitiveness...

"The time has come to sound the alarm."

— Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) commenting on the U.S. S&T position (#80)

"A recent study showed that American 15-year-olds ranked 27th out of 39 countries in math literacy. I don't know about you, but I want to be ranked first in the world, not 27th."

— President George Bush (#12)

"We don't enjoy [S&T leadership] status by divine right."

— National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler (#32)

"We at State fully, fully understand and support the whole concept of exchange. . . and bringing in the best and brightest ... We have really made an effort to try to turn cases around as quickly as we can."

— Janice Jacobs, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Visa Affairs, U.S. Department of State (#29)

"You've given us the right answers. Now it's down to us."

— Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on the National
Academies report, Rising Above the Gathering
Storm Energizing and Employing America
for a Brighter Economic Future (#164)

"How science will fare, both within the Administration and in Congress, depends on us, on you and me, and our ability to convince this nation of the importance of science."

— DOE Office of Science Director Ray Orbach (#56)

On ITER...

"I don't want to hold my breath."

— Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) commenting
on when ITER will be operational (#33)

"I want to make clear to everyone concerned that I will do everything in my power to kill the ITER project if there is not an agreement by March that the domestic fusion program has to be scaled back to pay for ITER. I am not going to allow the United States to enter into an international commitment that it cannot afford. I would rather kill the ITER project. The fusion community will have to be realistic. It cannot have all its current projects and ITER. And it will not."

— Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) during House debate on 11/9/05 (#167)

On Education/Visas...

"While the State Department has made some very important strides ... there are still too many qualified students unable to get visas to study in America, and too many who today are deterred from even applying."

 — Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) (#52)

"We need to make the rewards of a teaching career much greater ... financially, socially and culturally."

— Norman Augustine at a hearing on STEM
education and competitiveness (#84)

On NASA...

"NASA cannot afford everything that is on its plate today."

— NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (#70)

"While NASA may have relatively smooth sailing right now, we ignore the clouds on the horizon at our own peril ... There is simply not enough money in NASA's budget to carry out all of the tasks it is undertaking on the current schedule. That's a fact."

— Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) (#169)

"I'm worried that NASA is going to have great difficulty in keeping a vital and robust set of space and earth science missions on track in a tightly-constrained NASA budgetary environment. I hope I'm wrong, because these science programs, as well as the university research activities that they support, are in many ways NASA's crown jewels in the eyes of the general public."

— Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) (#169)

Miscellaneous...

"Simply not appropriate... "

— Former Rep. John Porter, chair of an NAS
committee on federal advisory committee appointments,
on asking political questions when recruiting members
for scientific and technology advisory committees. (#11)

"Appalling and disturbing."

— Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) describing NSF's grant success rate (#36)

"For too many Members, climate change is simply an ideological issue, and discussing it in the House has become practically taboo. That's just not right; scientists, other countries, and even individual states have come to the conclusion that we have a real problem on our hands — one with uncertainties, to be sure — but a real problem."

— Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) (#39)

"You are an amazing person."

— Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) referring to
Charles McQueary, Undersecretary of the
 Department of Homeland Security's
Science and Technology Directorate (#58)