WASHINGTON, D.C. – In executive session of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) led the passage of an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act to invest $17 billion in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories and User Facilities. The amendment, led by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), will help support the entire U.S. innovation system to strengthen America’s global competitiveness.

In addition to Senators Capito and Luján, the amendment is co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

“It was critically important to me that legislation highlighting scientific research also recognize the contribution of our national labs,” Senator Capito said. “The men and women at our labs, including the National Energy Technology Lab in Morgantown, are and have been at the forefront of the most significant achievements of our time, from the Manhattan project to developing the coronavirus vaccine. Further empowering and enhancing their capabilities, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, benefits all of us in the area of global competition.”

# # #