House of Representatives decided not to reauthorize the bill, voting 292-126 to scuttle the COMPETES bill. The Democrats were forced to pull the $80 billion technology bill after half their members voted for the GOP measure that, “in addition to severely shrinking the technology bill, put them on record as supporting the firing of government workers who view or download pornography on the job,” the AP reports.
The GOP slid in an anti-porn revision at the last minute. They proposed an amendment that would have blocked any federal money from “salaries to those officially disciplined for violations regarding the viewing, downloading, or exchanging of pornography, including child pornography, on a federal computer or while performing official government duties.” Why this provision? Republicans said they found recent reports of employees of the National Science Foundation — a main benefactor of the bill — using computers to watch pornography on company time.
AP reports the original bill would have “approved some $85 billion over five years to double funding for basic research at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, extend grants and loan guarantees to small businesses working with emerging technologies, and promote science and math education in schools.”
Republicans are happy the bill has been scuttled. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. said: “House Republicans successfully amended the bill to eliminate costly new programs and freeze funding at current levels until Congress has established a balanced budget.”
Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., chairman of the Science and Technology Energy and Environment Subcommittee said of the porn language in the motion: “It’s absurd, specious and it’s disgusting.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md added: “Republicans again refused to work together to help the middle class and continue creating jobs. Instead they chose to play a political game with a gotcha amendment intended solely to block.”
Frustrating for Democrats is the fact the committee approved the bill last month after a bipartisan vote, and the bill was strongly backed by business, technology and other groups.
Representative Bart Gordon (D–TN) is confident the bill won’t die. It’s a temporary setback, he notes. “I would like to see it brought up again, but timing is unclear.”
Barry Toiv, a spokesperson for the Association of American Universities, echoes Gordon’s statement. “We hope that the House finds a way to bring the bill back in a form that preserves the investments in research and education that were part of the committee’s bill.”
