Statement by President Joe Biden on House Passage of the National Science Foundation for the Future Act and the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act

In March, I outlined my vision for how we can grow our economy for all workers through the American Jobs Plan, and today the House took an important step in moving that forward by advancing two bipartisan bills. Led by Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member Frank Lucas, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act and the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act will make vital investments in R&D, science, and our economic competitiveness, and re-affirm the role of science in helping us solve major challenges like the climate crisis.

Manufacturing, and the innovation fueling it, are the backbone of the American economy, and they’re powered by the American workers and unions who help build our middle-class and the strongest, most dynamic economy in the world. But decades of neglect and disinvestment have left us at a competitive disadvantage as countries across the globe, like China, have poured money and focus into new technologies and industries, leaving us at real risk of being left behind.

We need historic—once in a generation—investments in our competitiveness that support R&D, innovation, our semiconductor industry, and advanced manufacturing to grow our economy and create good-paying middle-class jobs in every corner of America. By rebuilding those domestic sources of strength, we can out-compete China and the rest of the world for years to come.

I was pleased to see the Senate pass crucially important investments in our domestic strength through the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act with massive bipartisan support, and I’m heartened today to see the House pass similar bipartisan investments in R&D and science tonight. These pieces of legislation—and the agreement reached on the infrastructure framework last week—show the American people, and the world, that we’re capable of coming together as a country and setting aside our differences to make transformational investments that will strengthen us both at home and abroad. My Administration looks forward to continuing to work with the House and the Senate in producing a final bill I can sign.

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