On February 7, AAU sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting the nomination of Michael Kratsios as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dear Chair Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell,
I write to urge your support for the appointment of Michael Kratsios as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Mr. Kratsios provides an experienced hand given his previous service at the highest levels of U.S. science and technology (S&T) policy. He is well-positioned to shepherd a bold S&T policy agenda that will advance U.S. competitiveness and innovation, and ensure the national security interests required to make America great.
In his roles in the previous Trump Administration, including Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, he helped to drive several consequential initiatives in vital areas like STEM education, critical minerals, planetary defense, high-performance computing, and Industries of the Future. As a senior leader within OSTP, Mr. Kratsios stood up the American Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative and the National Quantum Coordination Office, which brought universities, industry, and national labs together to foster world-class research in these critical areas.
His nomination comes at a critical time for the country. Global competition is fierce in several areas of S&T under the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s purview – including astronautics and aeronautics, advanced manufacturing, and basic science in all fields. Washington needs to empower our scientists and engineers to make the discoveries that will lay the groundwork for future growth, while encouraging the next generation of innovators.
Mr. Kratsios possesses the knowledge and vision to advance the U.S. research enterprise and American science. We look forward to working with him again to ensure America remains at the forefront of global S&T. We encourage the Committee to expeditiously advance his nomination.
Sincerely,
Barbara R. Snyder
President