May 19, 2010

Washington, DC – Today, Congressional Republicans continued to block important, job creating legislation that will help America become more globally competitive. The America COMPETES Act will improve American competitiveness, encourage economic development and help train a new generation of researchers and scientists.

“Today’s vote shows again that Congressional Republicans are more interested in scoring political points than working with us to get our economy back on track,” said Rep. Luján. “At a time when we need to make sure that America produces the next generation of researchers, engineers, scientists, small business owners and innovators to drive our economy, Republicans are preventing us from reaching our potential in these critical fields. The America COMPETES Act will drive innovation, support small businesses, increase American competitiveness, and create jobs. This is exactly the type of legislation we need to support in order to get our economy back on track and plan for a globally competitive future.”

Last month, the legislation passed out of the Committee on Science and Technology with bipartisan support. Rep. Luján successfully amended the legislation in the Committee to include support for New Mexico’s national laboratories and institutions of higher learning.

The legislation is supported by hundreds of organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, American Council on Education, National Association of Manufacturers and American Association for the Advancement of Science.