By Mary O’KEEFE
It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. That Charles Dickens modified phrase could be used to describe the recent events in the country’s Capitol.
With a pandemic raging, impeachment hearings held and an insurrection occurring to stop the peaceful transition of power this has truly been a “season of darkness.”
Although it appears there is nothing but partisanship in Washington, D.C., there are actually issues that Republicans, Democrats and Independents can work on together.
“We are going to be taking up the Rim of the Valley legislation on Wednesday of next week. That was a very bipartisan bill [when it passed] last year,” said Congressman Adam Schiff. “I hope it is again this year, and we are trying to fast track it.”
Schiff has been fighting a long time for this legislation to preserve open space and now feels it is on a path to completion. The bill has passed out of committee and will hopefully be heard soon on the Senate floor.
In 2019, House Resolution 296: Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide of 1915, passed with a very successful bipartisan vote of 405 to 11.
“I am working on legislation to offer the release of the Armenian POWs [prisoners of war] who are still being held by Azerbaijan. I expect that will be bipartisan,” he said.
Last week he, along with Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, introduced the Supporting Children with Disabilities During COVID-19 Act. This will help educators by providing resources they need to support their students. The Act had been introduced last year but because this is a new Congress in session it has to be reintroduced.
“I would hope that [Act] would be bipartisan. Members on both sides of the aisle recognize the extraordinary needs of people with disabilities during the pandemic and the challenge of remote learning in the special needs community. I would hope that would attract bipartisan support,” he added. “Work on the Intel [Intelligence] Committee, as difficult as that has been, we still got our Annual Intelligence Authorization Act passed just a few months ago.”
Schiff is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The annual bill authorizes intelligence-related activities in 2021.
There has been a lot of strife but Schiff is hoping that, with the new administration, the country is turning a corner.
One area Schiff has focused on over the years is Jet Propulsion Laboratory, its research and its budget. Under the former administration, the budget for NASA and JPL was very healthy. Appointed by former President Donald Trump as NASA administrator, James “Jim” Bridenstine was very supportive of the agency. (Bridenstine resigned on Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden appointed Steve Jurczyk as interim administrator.)
“I think, first of all, we were very fortunate over the last four years to have Administrator Bridenstine who was very supportive of NASA and JPL in particular. He was a great partner and I enjoyed working with him,” Schiff said. He added that NASA, and JPL, will continue to be bipartisan and the budget will continue to be supported.
During the last four years though there has not been a lot of support for Earth climate science.
“I think the Biden administration will take a very different view and support the full range of the portfolio at JPL,” he said. “I am optimistic [about the support] but I don’t think we can take it for granted. There were times we had to fight for the [NASA] budget during the [former President Barack] Obama administration.”
It is important to continue the research into new technology especially as China’s space program grows. A China spacecraft is presently in orbit around Mars and is preparing to land.
“I think China is a competitor and, in certain domains, very much a threat. There are a lot of things China is doing in space in terms of its anti-satellite weapons system and in terms of its cyber theft capabilities [that] are a challenge,” Schiff said.
A 2020 Pentagon report stated that China continued the development of missiles and electronic weapons that would be able to target orbiting satellites. Schiff added China is a space competitor and, although the United States is still in a “league of our own” as far as space exploration, it is still important to continue to move forward.
It is important to invest in research and development so the U.S. can maintain its technological edge, Schiff said.
“In space there may be areas of cooperation with China; I think we have to look for those [opportunities] as well,” he added. “But we also have to align our immigration policies with our economic and technology needs and stop throwing foreign students who graduate form Caltech out of the country…. All of our policies –immigration, research and development, NASA [missions] – all have to be aligned to be more competitive in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics].”
Mars 2020 will be landing today, Thursday, on the surface of Mars. To view the landing go to nasa.gov or nasa.gov/nasalive.