Tauscher vows continued support for labs
With a precarious hold on the national laboratories in her district, Rep.
Ellen Tauscher took a break from her redistricting battles Wednesday to
chat with employees, vowing to continue fighting for the labs when she
returns to Washington next week.
At the start of her one-hour town hall meeting at Sandia, Tauscher noted
that as of 11 a.m. that morning she still represented LLNL and Sandia,
but had to take an afternoon phone call which could change her district
borders.
"Just don’t answer the phone," joked vice president of
Sandia’s California laboratory, Mim John, drawing laughter from the
audience of Sandia and LLNL employees.
Tauscher said she was glad to be home, but had hoped to spend much of
August on vacation. Then redistricting happened, she noted wryly.
"September is always a tough month, but after this month, I’ll
be happy to get out of this vacation and get back to work," Tauscher
joked.
She then spoke informally and off the cuff for more than an hour with
Sandia and Lab employees on a wide range of topics, including defense
spending, transportation, taxes and social security.
One of the first topics she will have to address when Congress resumes
in September is the Bush Administration’s plan to support national
missile defense. The money would be better spent and national security
better protected, Tauscher said, through nonproliferation, intelligence,
security and homeland defense. "The scientist-to-scientist, country-to-country"
work needs to be preserved.
"It’s confusing, but when they bring the bill to the floor,
I will try very hard to get that money added back in," she said.
Addressing Bush’s tax cut, Tauscher said she was the only Bay Area
Democrat to support the cut, but did so reluctantly.
"I voted for the tax cuts. I supported a tax cut and believed it
could help stimulate the economy. But I had to vote for one that I felt
was too great in the out years," she said. "We can’t predict
the economy for the next 10 years, but every year in Washington we do
it and every time we’re wrong."
Regarding a proposal to revisit base closures, which could include DOE
laboratories in the review, Tauscher vowed to protect the labs.
"I promise you that I will fight like hell to protect you. We have
to keep the lab footprint as it is," she said, with three weapons
laboratories. "I’m not going to let California lose."
Responding to a Sandia scientist who said one of his energy labs will
be without funding beginning Oct. 1, Tauscher said she strongly supports
energy research, especially given the energy crisis.
"It’s inexplicable to me that we would be making these cuts.
I’m never going to support cutting R&D funds," Tausher said.
"I’ll go back and I’ll help fight for it to be reinstated."
Asked about the NNSA and Gen. John Gordon, Tauscher said Gordon is "the
right guy for the time. I’m very supportive of John Gordon."