Investing in Technology and Innovation Should be a First 100 Days Priority
By Congressman Ro Khanna
President Biden is off to a strong start in responding to the most critically urgent national priorities – a series of executive actions related to racial justice, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic – to reverse the Trump Administration’s most damaging policies. The President’s first 100 days in office should also include the passage of a bold and ambitious plan to jump-start funding in science, technology, and innovation across America.
The Administration should seize this opportunity – at a time when there is hope for a new future, while those who favor progress are in control of the White House and Congress, and before the rigor of gridlock typical of such a narrow majority in both houses sets in. Fortunately for the new Administration, it does not have to look far to find an investment strategy. Last year, I joined a bipartisan and bicameral group of members of Congress in proposing a comprehensive plan that will achieve our national goals of reaching for the endless frontiers of discovery and the creation of breakthrough technologies for today and beyond.
My partners in this effort include Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Todd Young and Representative Mike Gallagher. We introduced the “Endless Frontiers Act” to boldly invest in America’s future and solidify our leadership in the industries of tomorrow. Under our plan, which we will re-introduce in the near future, the National Science Foundation would be expanded, re-named the National Science and Technology Foundation and include a new Technology Directorate within NTSF to advance technology in ten critical focus areas.
Under our legislation, the newly created Directorate would receive $100 billion over five years to lead investment and research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, high performance computing, robotics, automation, advanced manufacturing, and more. An additional $10 billion would be allocated to the National Science Board, which would direct the Commerce Department to award the funds to set up ten regional technology hubs. These funds would be awarded for comprehensive investment initiatives that position regions across the country to be global centers for research, development, and manufacturing of key technologies.
This should be a pillar of our strategy to reinvigorate the economy, create new jobs of the future, rebuild our inner cities and communities, and to stay economically competitive against China, whose aggressive advances in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence threaten us technologically leading the 21st Century.
President Biden is well suited to lead this effort. His cancer moonshot launched toward the end of the Obama Administration led to breakthrough therapies, new medicines, and even cures for some forms of cancer. His campaign’s “Made in America” plan expands federal support for manufacturing and innovation by choosing 50 communities where new technology hubs will be built with an emphasis on workforce development and private sector partnerships. His proposal calls for hundreds of billions in funding for basic science and research funding.
This vision is supported by recent polling conducted by Data For Progress indicating that a majority of Americans support investing in R&D to counter rapid industrial growth and innovation in China. In fact, 71 percent of voters agreed with the statement: “The U.S. needs to invest more in scientific and technological innovations; by investing in the future, we can drive innovation and create long-term jobs while maintaining our competitive edge over China.” Only one in five likely voters polled opposed investing more.