The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 9, 2007

Fact Sheet: America Competes Act of 2007
President Bush Signs Legislation Sharing Goals Of His American Competitiveness Initiative

Today, President Bush Signed Into Law The America Creating Opportunities To Meaningfully Promote Excellence In Technology, Education, And Science Act (America COMPETES).  This bill shares the goals of the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), a comprehensive strategy to keep America the most innovative nation in the world by strengthening our scientific education and research, improving our technological enterprise, attracting the world's best and brightest workers, and providing 21st century job training. 

The Legislation The President Signed Today Continues A Bipartisan Spirit Of Cooperation In Meeting The Goals Of ACI

As The President Proposed, The Act Supports Doubling Funding For Basic Research Programs In Physical Sciences.  This increased funding will encourage scientists to explore promising and critical areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing, and alternative energy sources.

The Act Authorizes The President's Math Now Proposal To Improve Instruction In Mathematics.  The programs will give teachers research-based tools and professional development to improve elementary, and middle school students' achievement in math.

The Act Authorizes The President's Proposed Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) Program.  This program would expand low-income students' access to AP/IB coursework by training more high school teachers to lead AP/IB courses in math, science, and critical foreign languages in high-need schools.

Congress Has More Work To Do To Assist Our Nation's Competitiveness

In Addition To Giving Priority To Full ACI Funding In This Year's Appropriations Bills, The President Calls On Congress To Complete Work On The Remaining Components Of ACI, Including:

The President Is Concerned That The Legislation Includes Excessive Authorizations And New Duplicative Programs.  The bill creates over 30 new programs that are mostly duplicative or counterproductive – including a new Department of Energy agency to fund late-stage technology development more appropriately left to the private sector – and also provides excessive authorization for existing programs.  Accordingly, the President will request funding in his 2009 budget for those authorizations that support the focused priorities of the ACI, but will not propose excessive or duplicative funding based on authorizations in the bill.

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