Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King is urging Energy Secretary Rick Perry to continue funding for research and development.
At a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday, King questioned Perry about proposed cuts tothe budget of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
“I understand that you're constrained by the budget that the White House wants — please don't diminish your commitment to those R and D (research and development) programs. That's where the future of this country hangs in the balance,” says King.
The Fiscal Year 2020 budget request from the Department of Energy would cut funding for EERE, the Department focused on research and development, by more than 85 percent.
The Department's budget summary says those cuts reflect "an increased reliance on the private sector to fund later-stage research development and commercialization of energy technologies."
