Luján Speaks on Senate Floor, Secures Motion in Support of National Labs

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) spoke on the Senate Floor in support of his Motion to Instruct, which urges the Congressional conferees of the Bipartisan Innovation Bill to support National Laboratories and the Department of Energy. Following the Senator’s speech and consideration by the Senate, Luján’s bipartisan motion was passed.

“Our National Labs are a research crown jewel, and countries like China are taking notice of our progress. As China works to build out their own national lab network modeled after our DOE labs, inaction would leave the U.S. at risk of being rapidly outpaced,” said Luján. “That’s why I’m pleased the Senate has passed my Motion to Instruct to support our National Labs, like Sandia and Los Alamos, with the funding they need to accomplish the critical work that lies ahead. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to get this funding across the finish line to ensure our National Labs have the capacity to address the 21st century challenges facing our country.”

The full text of the Senator’s remarks as prepared can be found below:

The Senate-passed US Innovation and Competition Act includes nearly $17 billion to support research, development, and supply chain support at the Department of Energy national laboratories, including key technology areas, such as high-performance computing, advanced energy technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and advanced manufacturing. The House bill also includes robust support for our national labs.

This strong investment is critical to maintaining and strengthening U.S. competitiveness and security – especially as global R&D expenditures rise in these transformative industries.

Our National Labs are a research crown jewel, and countries like China are taking notice of our progress. In fact, China is working to build out their own national lab network modeled after our DOE labs. Inaction would leave the U.S. at risk of being rapidly outpaced.

New Mexico’s own Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories are leading the way in developing cutting-edge technologies in key focus areas and driving innovation in critical national priorities…such as next-generation microelectronics.

The DOE’s experience working with universities, collaborating with the private sector, and protecting American intellectual property from theft by international competitors makes it a pillar of the U.S. innovation ecosystem.

Accordingly, my motion instructs conferees to support the DOE’s work in these areas in the conferenced legislation.

I urge its adoption.

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