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Statement of
The Honorable John H. Gibbons,
Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy
before the
Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, HUD, and
Independent Agencies Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
April 30, 1996
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I am
pleased to appear before you today to discuss the
Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP)
budget request for Fiscal Year 1997.
The Federal Government has an indispensable role
to play in investing in science and technology (S&T) -
- a role critical to the country's economy, national
security, environment, health, and other social needs.
The post-Cold War era is one of intense global
economic competition in which S&T are critical to
success. Our country also faces new national security
challenges, including threats from the proliferation
of nuclear and biological weapons, regional conflicts,
global environmental degradation, and even newly
emerging infectious diseases.
Fortunately, the pace at which scientific
advances are being made is unprecedented. The Federal
role in these advances is especially important. Our
Nation supports a balanced mix of S&T investments
(i.e., basic research, applied research, and
technology development) and must continue to do so
since the steps involved in technological innovation
are so profoundly interwoven.
In addition to investing in scientific research
and education, the Clinton Administration has
initiated or expanded public-private partnerships to
spur innovations with broad economic impact and high
social rates of return. These partnerships have
traditionally served our Nation well, not only, for
example, in building our transportation
infrastructure, but in nurturing new types of
technological infrastructures such as information
highways and environmental monitoring systems. The
partnerships enable the private sector to translate
new knowledge into novel technologies that benefit
both its bottom line and society at large. Enhancing
the Federal-University partnership is also crucial if
our Nation is going to maintain its S&T advantage.
The Administration treats S&T as high-leverage
investments in America's future. Investments in S&T
contribute to a growing economy with more high-skill,
high-wage jobs for American workers; a healthier
population; a cleaner environment where energy
efficiency, information technology, and advanced
technology increase profits and reduce pollution; a
stronger, more competitive private sector able to
maintain U.S. leadership in critical world markets; an
educational system in which every student is
challenged to prepare for the new global economy; and
an inspired scientific and technological research
community focused on ensuring our national security,
on improving the quality of life for Americans today
and for our children tomorrow, and on successfully
meeting global problems through cooperation with other
countries. The most important measure of success will
be our ability to make a difference in the lives of
the American people, to harness science and technology
to improve the quality of life and the economic
strength of our nation. Simply put, we must invest in
S&T wisely for the good of the country. Since our
investments in S&T have paid such rich dividends,
sustaining U.S. leadership in S&T is a cornerstone of
the President's vision for America.
OSTP supports the Administration's S&T
objectives by providing authoritative scientific and
technological information, analysis, advice, and
recommendations to the President, Vice President,
White House Offices, Executive Branch Agencies, and
Congress; participating in the formulation,
coordination, and implementation of national and
international policies and programs that involve S&T;
maintaining and promoting the health and vitality of
the U.S. S&T infrastructure; and coordinating research
and development efforts across the Federal government
to maximize the return on the public's investment and
to ensure that resources are used efficiently and
appropriately.
OSTP Budget Request
I ask today for your continued support. OSTP's
budget request of $4,932,000 for FY 1997 will enable
the agency to fulfill its responsibilities to use S&T
to enhance the economy, the environment, health,
education, and national security. The requested FY
1997 budget reflects a reduction of $49,000 from the
FY 1996 request. Personnel costs constitute the
largest portion of OSTP's budget. The portion of the
budget devoted to adinistrative expense reflects
further reduction so as to meet Adinistration goals of
a more cost-effective government. OSTP has a critical
role to play in coordinating science and technology
policy for the Executive Branch. The budget requested
for FY 1997 reflects our comitment to operate
efficiently and cost-effectively without compromising
the most essential of the office--high quality personnel.
In addition to my role as Director of OSTP, I
serve as Assistant to the President for Science and
Technology. In this capacity I support the activities
of the President's National Science and Technology
Council and co-chair the President's Committee of
Advisors on Science and Technology. I also serve on
the National Economic Council and the Domestic Policy
Council (DPC). The Associate Director for Science is
also appointed to the DPC staff, and the Associate
Director for National Security and International
Affairs is also jointly appointed to the National
Security Council staff. Let me turn now to a brief
discussion of the important role played by the
National Science and Technology Council and the
President's Committee of Advisors on Science and
Technology.
National Science and Technology Council
Science and technology are complex,
multidimensional pursuits, and the Federal investment
in S&T is varied and dispersed across many agencies.
Traditional single agency, single disciplinary
approaches to problem solving can no longer adequately
address many complex S&T issues. Previous multi-
agency S&T coordinating efforts helped to shape
federal goals and policies, but they did not have the
authority to establish priorities, direct policy, or
participate fully in the budget process. In this
Administration, S&T coordinating mechanisms have been
elevated, receiving increased attention and
involvement of the President, Vice President, Cabinet
Secretaries, agency heads, and key White House
officials. Thus, the United States now has a two-
year-old Cabinet-level body dedicated to coordinating
overall S&T strategies--the National Science and
Technology Council (NSTC).
The NSTC is a coalition of agencies vested with
the authority regarding policy and budgetary matters
that previous coordinating bodies lacked. OSTP works
through the NSTC to produce R&D strategies and
reports, convene workshops, establish initiatives to
guide federal investments in new technologies, and
recommend presidential decisions. NSTC coordinates
efforts among agencies, divides tasks and shares
resources to advance S&T. Although each agency, to
accomplish its mission, must have R&D directed to its
particular needs, there are some commonalities in the
S&T needs of all the agencies. Overarching national
goals typically cross agency boundaries. The NSTC
provides a structure in which to prioritize the many
legitimate demands on the public's R&D dollar. It
assures a forum in which critical national needs
cannot be pushed aside by immediate and parochial
agency needs. NSTC sensitizes agencies to the
advantage of symbiosis over isolated pursuit of
objectives.
The NSTC is responsible for:
- coordinating the formulation of S&T policy
and ensuring it is reflected in the
President's budget;
- ensuring S&T policy decisions and programs
are consistent with the President's stated
goals;
- helping to implement and integrate the
President's S&T policy agenda across the
Federal government;
- ensuring S&T are considered in the
development and implementation of all
Federal policies and programs; and
- strengthening the value to the U.S. of
international cooperation in S&T.
NSTC routinely seeks input from a wide spectrum
of stakeholders, including private industry, academia,
state and local governments, and the public. Under
the auspices of the NSTC, natural and social
scientists, engineers, economists, and policymakers
are collaboratively addressing national S&T problems.
This venue for direct communications cuts through
bureaucracy, and aids the pursuit of common goals and
objectives. By leveraging resources, the NSTC has
reduced redundancies, saving the taxpayers hundreds of
millions of dollars. As just one example, the
decision to converge the polar environmental satellite
systems of the Departments of Defense and Commerce
will eliminate duplication of capability, saving an
expected $300 million by the turn of the century, with
additional savings thereafter.
To meet the Nation's goals in the years ahead --
and to continue meeting them as the goals evolve --
requires that we set priorities for R&D now, with a
farsighted vision for the future because much of the
S&T enterprise is inherently a multi-decade process.
Even within the science community, it can take decades
to recognize the significance of a scientific
discovery. The U.S. Council on Competitiveness
recently released a report--Endless Frontier, Limited
Resources -- that concludes that, "R&D drives the
process of innovation that underpins our nation's
economic well-being and national security." The
report's title is intended to convey a key point --
"the promises and expectations of R&D are increasing,
but the resources needed to sustain the R&D effort are
decreasing." The Council, whose members are broadly
drawn from American industry, labor, and universities,
posits that priorities must be set and collaboration
achieved among the whole range of S&T stakeholders.
The NSTC serves as the mechanism for providing the
vision, deriving priorities, and collaboratively
advancing the federal S&T agenda. By creating an
integrated S&T organization, the NSTC enables the
Administration to maintain productive research and
development activity within each S&T-dependent agency
while simultaneously achieving the efficiencies of a
cross-linked system. This crosslinking among agencies
with complementary missions facilitates a balanced mix
of S&T investments.
President's Committee of Advisors
on Science and Technology
OSTP provides support to the President's
Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology
(PCAST). The PCAST advises the President and the
NSTC, providing input from outside the federal sector,
to ensure that national needs remain an overarching
guide. It provides feedback about federal programs
and actively advises the President and the NSTC about
S&T issues of national importance. PCAST members are
distinguished individuals from industry, education and
research institutions, and other nongovernmental
organizations. Three members are Nobel Prize winners.
The PCAST's diversity and talent are an invaluable
resource for identifying and evaluating S&T issues of
national concern and for developing successful S&T
policies. John Young, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard,
co-chairs PCAST with me.
PCAST issued four reports to the President in
1995 on critical issues facing the federal S&T
program. One, for example, titled Report of the
PCAST Panel on U.S.-Russian Cooperation to Protect,
Control, and Account for Weapons-Usable Nuclear
Materials, served as a catalyst for drafting language
for a U.S.-Russia summit statement on expanding
fissile materials cooperation. After some
negotiation, President Clinton and President Yeltsin
issued a statement from the summit calling for
accelerated and expanded cooperation to secure and
account for nuclear materials, and directing the Gore-
Chernomyrdin Commission to prepare a joint report on
additional steps that should be taken. Working
closely with OSTP staff, the National Security Council
prepared a Presidential Decision Directive
highlighting the urgency and importance of this
problem, and directing agencies to implement the
recommendations of the PCAST report.
Goals of Federal Science and
Technology Policies and Programs
President Clinton's vision for the future of S&T
is one in which all Americans have an opportunity to
gain from the knowledge and benefits derived through
S&T activities, and one in which business, government,
and universities work together on a wide range of S&T
issues that range from unlocking the secrets of the
universe to improving the quality of our daily lives.
The President gives special emphasis to investment
activities, such as research and education, which
provide a key source of innovation and means to
achieve national aspirations. Consistent with this
vision, the President announced in his first month in
office that the nation's S&T policies and programs
would be directed toward three basic goals:
- strengthening the economy through private investment in research and
development and the growth of innovation-based enterprises;
- reforming and streamlining government, to make it work better and
cost less, with a fair, efficient, and effective regulatory system that
encourages rather than discourages innovation; and
- world leadership in science, mathematics and engineering.
The Administration's six key R&D goals, reflective of overarching
Presidential themes, are:
- maintain world leadership in science, engineering, and mathematics
- promote long-term economic growth that creates jobs
- sustain a healthy, educated citizenry
- harness information technology
- improve environmental quality
- enhance national security
In support of the Administration's goals, the nine NSTC committees
developed principles and priorities to give direction to the research and
development process for FY 1997. The FY 1997 R&D policy principles
direct the agencies to:
- emphasize peer review and select programs
through a merit-based competitive process;
- jointly fund research and education
programs through industry, university, or
State partnerships;
- support multiple goals that provide
promise of a high social rate of return,
such as improving the environment and
simultaneously helping American businesses
compete internationally; ensuring national
security while contributing to a strong
technical base in civilian businesses; or
coupling research, education and training
to strengthen the technical literacy of
our diverse workforce; and
- establish and use qualitative and
quantitative indicators to measure
progress and performance realistically and
objectively.
On April 28, 1995, Alice M. Rivlin, the Director
of OMB, and I issued joint budget guidance to the
Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies to convey
the guiding principles developed by the NSTC.
Agencies were requested to reflect these principles
and priorities in their FY 1997 budget submittal. The
guidance was similar to that issued in 1994 by Leon
Panetta and me. The joint guidance of the last two
years reflects a significant shift in the way the
federal research and development enterprise is
addressed.
1995 Accomplishments
Before concluding, it is appropriate that I take
some time to provide a sample of the Office's
accomplishments over the past year. (We have
submitted for the record a document fully summarizing
our Fiscal Year 1995 accomplishments.) OSTP has been
instrumental in shaping our nation's science and
technology policy; not only as it relates to Federal
S&T activities, but also to partnerships between the
Federal government and States, universities, and
industry. The National Science and Technology
Council (NSTC) has been an invaluable partner with
OSTP in developing interagency evaluations and forging
consensus on many crucial S&T issues.
National Security and International Affairs: Working
through the NSTC, OSTP developed the U.S.'s first
National Security Science and Technology Strategy.
This strategy presents our approach to applying S&T to
our national security goals -- preserving a strong
and ready military, stemming the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, strengthening economic
security, and mitigating global problems such as food
scarcity, the spread of infectious diseases, and
environmental degradation. OSTP and NSTC have
developed a specific strategy to improve U.S. and
international prevention, surveillance and response to
the outbreak of new and reemerging infectious diseases
worldwide.
OSTP continues to provide technical input and
analyses for a key Administration initiative -- the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. We were an
active participant in the planning and preparations
for the recently successful Nuclear Safety and
Security Summit held in Moscow. We are working
closely with the National Security Council to
implement new U.S.-Russian policy approaches to
securing nuclear materials and OSTP leads the U.S.
participation in the first-ever joint study with
Russia on long-term disposition of excess weapons
plutonium. OSTP is a key player in developing a
national policy to protect America's critical
infrastructure from physical and cyber attack.
OSTP has worked successfully to expand U.S. S&T
relationships with important trading partners as well
as economies in transition. Under the auspices of the
Gore-Mbeki Commission, we have applied the tools of
our S&T enterprise to help rebuild a unified,
democratic South Africa. We are putting S&T in the
service of our improving relationship with Russia and
engaging Russian scientists in peaceful applications
of S&T. Our S&T relationship continues to be the most
consistent thread in our bilateral relationship with
China. New partnerships with our counterparts in the
OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development), APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)
and the Americas, and work with the EU (European
Union) and Japan, are addressing global issues and
building a vibrant international S&T community.
Environment: OSTP worked with executive branch
agencies through NSTC to produce a series of research
strategies including a national strategy for
environment and natural resources research, and a
North American public/private research strategy for
ozone and air quality research. OSTP continued to
promote national and international discussions on
environmental R&D issues, hosting a high-level
International Forum on El Ni o and collaborating with
the Council on Environmental Quality and the Institute
of Medicine to hold a major conference on human health
and climate change.
OSTP played a key role in a number of domestic
and international environmental science assessments,
including (1) an important study of global warming
through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
(2) an interagency review of mercury exposure levels,
and (3) an interagency assessment of oxygenated fuels.
We also continued our focus on improving the
efficiency and coordination of ongoing agency and
interagency environmental R&D activities, working with
participating agencies to restructure the U.S. Global
Change Research Program, and working with the private
sector, academia, and state and municipal governments
on the Administration's Environmental Technology
Initiative. In addition, we began a National
Environmental Monitoring initiative to improve
monitoring efforts of various agencies at hundreds of
sites around the country without additional
expenditures. Finally, we started a Natural Hazard
Loss Reduction initiative to apply S&T in mitigating
the effects of natural disasters.
Technology: OSTP played a leadership role in the
development of the Administration s Global Positioning
System (GPS) policy. The new GPS policy describes the
future management and use of the GPS, committing the
United States to provide this navigation aid free of
charge to all users and thereby enabling the
development of a variety of new technology markets.
OSTP is playing a similar leadership role in the
ongoing review and revision of the Administration s
space policy. OSTP has ongoing White House oversight
responsibility for the Space Station and Space Shuttle
programs, national R&D strategies for satellite
technology, launch vehicle systems in international
trade, and global communications technologies. OSTP
co-chaired with the National Economic Council an
interagency and international process designed to
transform the current intergovernmental organizations
INTELSAT and INMARSAT into competitive, fully private
satellite communication firms.
OSTP/NSTC collaboration produced a federal R&D
strategy to support the building and construction
industry, and provided continuing leadership for the
Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicle program.
Other efforts included (1) developing new partnerships
between the public and private sectors in a new
consortium called the National Electronics
Manufacturing Initiative, Inc., (2) specifying
national goals for aeronautics R&D,
(3) addressing important issues in aviation,
intelligent transportation systems, and physical
infrastructure, (4) supporting the federal High
Performance Computing and Communications program, (5)
launching several new programs to support the
development of technologies for increasing the
productivity of learning and teaching, (6) helping to
create and continuing to work with Tech Corps, a
national non-profit organization to assist schools in
the task of integrating technology into the
educational system, and (7) encouraging the
development of the Challenge Grants for Technology in
Education to develop a new generation of interactive
learning tools.
Science: Working through the NSTC, and in response
to a Congressional request, OSTP led an interagency
review of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), providing
the White House, Executive Branch Agencies, and
Congress with an analysis of future options for the
USAP. OSTP also worked with NSTC in the preparation
of reports on: Assessing Fundamental Science; and
Meeting the Challenge: A Research Agenda for
America's Health, Safety, and Food. Assessing
Fundamental Science, to be released later this year,
will provide research agencies with advice on how
fundamental science should be evaluated within the
context of the 1993 Government Performance and Results
Act. Meeting the Challenge identified major research
areas that must be addressed to ensure the health and
safety of all Americans. Other activities have
included development and organization, with input from
NSTC agencies, of the new National Bioethics Advisory
Commission, and continuing leadership of an
interagency committee addressing issues associated
with Persian Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. In
addition, OSTP has worked to strengthen the
partnership between the Federal government and our
Nation's colleges and universities.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I hope this brief
overview has provided you with a convincing case for the essential role
that OSTP and NSTC play together in enabling the American people to
benefit from our Nation's science and technology efforts. Americans want
a vibrant economy with more high-skill, high-wage jobs; a cleaner environment
where energy efficiency and innovative industrial processes enabled by
technological ingenuity increase profits, conserve natural resources, and
reduce pollution; a stronger, more competitive private sector
able to maintain leadership in critical world markets;
an educational system where every student is challenged to reach his or
her full potential; an inspired scientific and technological research
community focusing on increasing our intellectual capital and and
improving our quality of life; and a strong national security. Science
and technology are absolutely critical to reaching those goals.
Investments in science and technology bring the Nation new advances
and a brighter future. In the end, the most important measure of success
will be the difference these investments make in the lives of the
American people by improving our quality of life,
strengthening the economic vitality of our nation, and
contributing to our understanding of the world in
which we live.
I ask for your support for OSTP's Fiscal Year
1997 budget request. I would be happy to answer any
questions you have.
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