Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of three amendments to H.R. 7617.
My amendment, offered with Mr. Wittman, Ms. Luria, and Mr. Beyer, reflects the need to adequately fund the important work done at Jefferson Lab. JLab, in my district in Newport News, is home to the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, also known as CEBAF, the primary research tool in the U.S. for enabling basic research on the quark and gluon structure of protons and neutrons. Worldwide, a community of more than 1,700 scientists from over 275 institutions depend on this facility for their research.
The City of Newport News has agreed to transfer ownership of a building to the Lab to support its work, but the $2 million included in this year's appropriations bills fall short of the $9 million needed to transfer that building and move forward with the renovation and expansion of CEBAF, for which the Department of Energy has already approved Critical Decision 0.
I also rise today in support of the amendment offered with my colleagues, Mr. Wittman, Mr. McEachin, Ms. Luria, Ms. Spanberger, and Ms. Wexton, in regard to the urgent need for robust funding to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for coastal construction projects. The Army Corps has worked to keep America's waterways and ports open to trade, while working with our communities to ensure that they can continue to live with the water that surrounds Hampton Roads.
My district is home to the Port of Virginia which is one of the largest and busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. With 95 percent of our nation's trade moving by water, it is essential that the port is able to maintain operations. The Port of Virginia is responsible for nearly $40 billion in economic activity in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is critical to our financial well-being that we ensure that the Port is able to handle to the increased number and size of containers. The Port and the Army Corps of Engineers have undertaken the dredging and widening and deepening of the Norfolk Harbor to enable safe and efficient two-way passage of the new larger container ships. The project will require a New Start designation to keep the projected time line intact.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting additional funding to support our National Labs and the construction at the Norfolk Harbor to keep both of these essential projects moving forward.
I also rise in support of Rep. Murphy's amendment which I was proud to cosponsor, as co-chair of the Modeling and Simulation Caucus, along with Rep. Bergman, an active caucus member. This amendment emphasizes the importance of funding for the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) account. Funding for the Synthetic Training Environment program is an investment in simulation technology to help service members train virtually for their missions. Advancing modeling and simulation technology is a long-term investment that enables us to remain competitive in with innovations in medicine, training, and transportation and I urge my colleagues to support these investments.
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