High-tech manufacturing is the process of using sophisticated equipment and advanced technologies to produce products that require precision and high quality

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
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The High Tech Manufacturing category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States’ policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material. Its responsibilities include the nation’s nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, radioactive waste disposal, and domestic energy production. It also directs research in genomics; the Human Genome Project originated in a DOE initiative. DOE sponsors more research in the physical sciences than any other U.S. federal agency, the majority of which is conducted through its system of National Laboratories.

The agency is led by the United States Secretary of Energy, and its headquarters are located in Southwest Washington, D.C., on Independence Avenue in the James V. Forrestal Building, named for James Forrestal, as well as in Germantown, Maryland.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a US government agency under the Department of Commerce. Their focus is on promoting innovation and industrial competitiveness in the US through advancements in measurement science, standards, and technology.

• Mission: Promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness
• Founded: 1901
• Headquarters: Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Services: Standards development, measurement science, technology research
• Recent News (as of April 4, 2024): Awarded grants for cybersecurity workforce development, using cellphone compasses for health research, appointed new director for the Information Technology Laboratory

The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces.

The DOD is the largest employer in the world, with over 1.4 million active-duty service members (soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, and Guardians) as of 2021. More employees include over 826,000 National Guard and reservists from the armed forces, and over 732,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.8 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., the DoD’s stated mission is to provide “the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation’s security”.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for developing emerging technologies for military use.

• Founded in 1958 in response to the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union [Wikipedia].
• Focuses on high-risk, high-reward research that could lead to revolutionary military capabilities [Wikipedia].
• Some of DARPA’s successful projects include the internet, GPS, and stealth aircraft [Britannica].
• DARPA is currently working on artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and other cutting-edge technologies [DARPA (.mil)].

The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with promoting economic growth.[clarification needed] Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for business and government decision making, and helping to set industrial standards.

This organization’s main purpose is to create jobs, promote economic growth, encourage sustainable development and block harmful trade practices of other nations. The Department of Commerce is headquartered in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, DC.

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government, responsible for occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemployment benefits, reemployment services, and occasionally, economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The Department of Labor is headed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.

The purpose of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the well being of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of about $8.3 billion (fiscal year 2020), the

NSF funds approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States’ colleges and universities. In some fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing.

Source: Wikipedia

Mission:  
Has broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, and transportation, the Senate Commerce Committee is one of the largest of the Senate’s standing committees, with 26 members in the 117th Congress.

House counterparts: Energy and Commerce Committee; Science, Space, and Technology Committee; and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Democratic Members (Minority):
Maria Cantwell, Washington, Ranking Member
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Ed Markey, Massachusetts
Gary Peters, Michigan
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
Jacky Rosen, Nevada
Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico
John Hickenlooper, Colorado
John Fetterman, Pennsylvania
Andy Kim, New Jersey
Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware

Republican Members (Majority):
Ted Cruz, Texas, Chair
John Thune, South Dakota
Roger Wicker, Mississippi
Deb Fischer, Nebraska
Jerry Moran, Kansas
Dan Sullivan, Alaska
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Todd Young, Indiana
Ted Budd, North Carolina
Eric Schmitt, Missouri
Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
John Curtis, Utah
Bernie Moreno, Ohio
Tim Sheehy, Montana

Featured Video: 
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hearing Q&A 06/24/2021

Current: US Senator since 2001
Affiliation: Democrat 
Leadership: Chair, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
District:
Next Election: 

History:  Cantwell attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration. A year after graduating, Cantwell worked on Jerry Springer’s unsuccessful 1982 Ohio gubernatorial campaign.

Maria Cantwell served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and in the United States House of Representatives from Washington’s 1st congressional district from 1993 to 1995. After losing her seat to Republican Rick White in the 1994 election. She then briefly worked in the private sector as vice president of marketing for RealNetworks.

Quotes:  The COVID-19 pandemic made it crystal clear that local reporters and newsrooms are essential to keeping the public informed and safe, but their importance spans well beyond health emergencies. At its core, local news is about holding the powerful accountable.

The strength of our democracy is based in truth and transparency, and local newsrooms are on the ground in our communities asking the critical questions, countering misinformation, and telling our stories. We have to protect these vital parts of our communities.

Featured Video: Sen. Maria Cantwell On The Washington State Coronavirus Response | All In | MSNBC

Current Position: US Senator since 2013
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 – 2008
Other Positions:  Ranking member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights – Committee on the Judiciary

On March 23, 2015, Cruz announced he was running for president. Despite having only been a senator for two years, he emerged as a serious contender in the Republican primaries. The competition for the Republican presidential nomination between Cruz and front-runner Donald Trump was heated and characterized by a series of public personal attacks. Cruz initially declined to endorse him, but he became a staunch supporter of Trump during his presidency.

Law Clerk, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States, 1996-1997 and Judge J. Michael Luttig, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1995-1996

Featured Quote: 
The CDC has destroyed their credibility. A year and a half ago, the CDC was one of the most respected scientific organizations in the world. Now, their credibility is in tatters because they behave more like an arm of the DNC than a serious scientific organization.

Cruz Lashes Out At Pelosi Over Mask Rules: ‘Who The Hell Is She To Be Fining Members Of The House?’

The Committee on Energy and Commerce serves as the principal guide for the House in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public’s health and marketplace interests, with the relatively recent addition of energy considerations among them.

Senate counterparts: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Subcommittees:

•  Communications and Technology
• Energy, Climate and Grid Security
• Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals
• Health
• Innovation, Data and Commerce
• Oversight and Investigations

Chair: Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington (R)
Ranking Member: Frank Pallone, New Jersey (D)

Majority Staff Director: N/A
Minority Staff Director: N/A
Meeting Location:

Featured Video: 
Disinformation Nation: Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation – March 25, 2021

Current Position: US Representative of NJ District 6 since 1981
Affiliation: Democrat
District:   includes the northern and eastern portions of Middlesex County and the coastal areas of Monmouth County, including towns along the Raritan Bay
Upcoming Election:

The 6th district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1993, is in the north-central part of the state and includes New Brunswick, Woodbridge Township, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, Edison, Piscataway and Asbury Park. Pallone is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Before being elected to the House, he was a member of the Long Branch City Council from 1982 to 1988.