Former Undersecretary of the Army Norman Augustine and Rice University Senior Fellow in Science and Technology Neal Lane recently sent a letter to Senate HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR). In the letter, Augustine and Lane outline their concerns about the “impairment to America’s competitiveness” caused by proposed cuts to the research and development budget.