Zoe Lofgren

Lofgren Commemorates 51 Years Since Black April

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), co-founder of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, issued the following statement marking 51 years since the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975: "The fall of Saigon 51 years ago marked a turning point in world history, one that led to unimaginable hardship for the millions of Vietnamese who were displaced by a brutal communist regime. I remember volunteering with the Red Cross back in 1975 when the first wave of refugees were arriving in San Jose. On Tháng Tư Đen, or Black April, we honor the South Vietnamese military who fought alongside American troops to defend democracy and human dignity. This solemn day is also an opportunity to reflect on the many contributions the Vietnamese diaspora has made to California and to our country. I'm immensely proud to represent tens of thousands of Vietnamese Americans, and I will always use my voice in Congress to advocate for the release of political prisoners in Vietnam and for human rights globally." Lofgren represents large parts of San Jose, home to nearly 150,000 Vietnamese residents, making it the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside of Vietnam. She visited Vietnam in 2015 with then-Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), where they met with dissidents persecuted by the Vietnamese government and handed government officials lists of political prisoners who ought to be released. Lofgren and Rep. Sam Liccardo (CA-16) participated in a ceremony on Saturday at the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) in San Jose to commemorate Black April. She is also co-leading a resolution with Rep. Derek Tran (CA-45) to recognize the 51st anniversary. Image

Ranking Member Lofgren's Opening Statement at Markup of the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act

Position: Ranking Member Lofgren supports reauthorization of the National Quantum Initiative to maintain U.S. competitiveness in quantum technology research and development, citing competitive threats from China, Japan, and the European Union. She expresses concern that current federal science agency funding may be inadequate to sustain U.S. leadership in this field.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding an Full Committee markup of H.R. 8462, National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: Thank you, Chairman Babin. Today the Science Committee will consider a bill that advances quantum technology, the next frontier in computing, communications, and sensing. Introduced by Energy Subcommittee Chairman Randy Weber, the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act (NQIA) continues the work this committee began eight years ago, and I am very eager to build upon our prior accomplishment. For decades, the United States has enjoyed being the global leader in quantum information science in terms of both research output and investment across every quantum application and technology. Our leadership was built upon a foundation of investments and efforts at all levels - in academia, industry, and our federal government. In 2018, Congress demonstrated strong bipartisan support for the emerging quantum industry with the National Quantum Initiative Act, which created a whole-of-government approach to advancing quantum technologies. However, U.S. leadership is far from assured. In fact, we are on the precipice of not just falling to second place, but maybe even third or fourth. In 2024, the Chinese Communist Party invested more than four times the United States in quantum R&D. In 2025, the CCP announced a $138 billion fund to support their public-private partnerships in emerging technologies, including quantum computing. The Chinese Communist Party is in position to outspend our efforts again this year and for the next five, while the U.S. administration is taking a sledgehammer to U.S. science agencies, including the leading agencies for quantum information science. But China is not alone in its investments. Japan is planning to invest roughly $860 million in quantum research in 2026. In the European Union, the German government alone is planning to spend $3 billion on quantum technologies between 2022 and 2026. And while some may have trouble with that kind of math, let me lay out the consequences. Without significant investment, we sell out the future and waste whatever technological lead we have achieved so far. After significant outreach and bipartisan negotiations, we are ready today to update the National Quantum Initiative Act and meet emerging challenges for U.S. competitiveness in quantum. At the moment, this bill does not have any funds authorized. It was important to me – and I think the Chairman agrees - that we not undercut the agencies as they seek to accelerate investments in quantum. Unfortunately, we do not yet have fiscal year 2026 spending plans for the agencies, which makes it difficult for us to adequately project appropriate spending levels in this bill. Chairman Babin has assured me he will work with me to address this challenge so we can be assured all of our relevant agencies have the resources to carry out the activities authorized under this bill before this bill moves to the floor. Overall, I support the bipartisan policy proposals outlined in this bill. With this bill, we can develop the critical human and physical infrastructure that will enable the United States to move quantum technologies from lab to market. Human infrastructure means preparing a quantum-ready workforce in the United States from the skilled technician to the doctoral graduate. And physical infrastructure means creating new quantum testbeds, updated state-of-the-art federal research laboratories, and new centers to advance research in quantum sensing, measurement, and engineering. The NQIA reauthorization will help leverage our international partners to maximize our quantum research and development capabilities and better compete with our adversaries. It also officially incorporates NASA into NQI to ensure we are capitalizing on their unique capabilities, perspectives, and testing capacity. Lastly, the bill updates the goals and objectives of many quantum programs across agencies to ensure quantum research can move beyond basic science and into applied research, demonstration, and commercial applications. The United States must be the leader in this emerging technology, and achieving that requires sobriety on what policy changes and funding are need to maintain U.S. leadership. And on that note, I thank the Chairman and his staff for working with me and my staff on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. ### Issues:Innovation and Technology

Ranking Member Lofgren's Opening Statement at NOAA Budget Hearing

Position: Ranking Member Lofgren opposes the President's FY 2027 budget request for NOAA, which cuts the agency's budget by 26% and eliminates critical research programs, cooperative institutes, and laboratories that support weather forecasting, hurricane research, and severe storm prediction.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding an Environment Subcommittee hearing titled, A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: Thank you, Chairman Franklin and Ranking Member Amo for holding this important hearing on NOAA’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request. And thank you Dr. Jacobs for appearing before us today. As Members of this Committee, we understand the importance and significance of NOAA. The agency is tasked with providing critical information for our communities to prepare, respond, and adapt to severe weather events and the changing environment while managing and protecting our nation’s coastal and ocean resources. However, it’s not clear that this Administration recognizes or values the importance of NOAA. The President’s Fiscal year 2027 Budget Request cuts NOAA’s budget by more than 26%. Like FY 2026, the request attempts to get rid of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, terminate critical research programs, and closes cooperative institutes and research labs that support NOAA’s mission. Just last month, the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere developed a cutting-edge forecast system that will improve precipitation forecasts of atmospheric rivers in the San Francisco Bay area. Experts at the University of California San Diego and Colorado State University worked with NOAA to develop an advanced rainfall forecast system that gives emergency managers and water agencies in the Bay Area more accurate and timely warnings about potential flooding and runoff from heavy rainfall events. It has already been incorporated into the National Weather Service’s toolbox. This is particularly timely given that NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, which is also slated to be cut, indicated that a super El Nino is likely to emerge this summer in the Pacific. To further exemplify what the FY 2027 budget request is attempting to eliminate, this Administration wants to close the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, or AOML, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. AOML is home to the Hurricane Research Division which aids NOAA in improving the understanding and prediction of a hurricane’s track, intensity, and structure. The National Severe Storms Laboratory improves the understanding and prediction of severe weather, most notably tornadoes. This lab developed the radar the National Weather Service uses today to detect hail and tornado circulation. These labs are among the few dozen research facilities that make up the backbone of NOAA’s operations, yet this Administration wants to terminate them in the name of “eliminating funding for the globalist climate agenda.” By its own admission, NOAA states these labs and cooperative institutes advance the National Weather Service’s prediction capabilities and improve its ability to provide more accurate and timely warnings and forecasts for life-threatening weather events. Cutting programs that improve hurricane and tornado forecasting is the very definition of pennywise and pound foolish. While NOAA’s labs and cooperative institutes provide the research and development of new and improved forecasting tools, it is NOAA’s operational environmental satellite systems that provide the foundational data in weather and climate models. Decisions made now will affect forecasting capabilities for decades. Nevertheless, this Administration abruptly undermined a well-vetted and scientifically backed plan by cancelling contracts and changing the system infrastructure without any real analysis or assessment. Moreover, NOAA failed to inform Congress of these changes. While these decisions were made prior to your confirmation, Dr. Jacobs, I look forward to working with you to ensure there will be no further lapse in communication and better partnership moving forward. We can see the improvements and successes of our nation’s forecasting capabilities due to investments in research and technology. Dr. Jacobs, I believe you can agree that there is still more work that needs to be done. This year, we have already seen several weather disasters that have unfortunately caused the loss of life. This proposed budget will not help. We can and must do better. With that, I yield back. ### Issues:Energy and Environment

Lofgren Offers Fix for America's Ag Workforce Shortage as Congress Debates Farm Bill

Position: Rep. Lofgren supports the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would reform the H-2A guestworker program to provide employers greater flexibility while protecting workers and granting legal status to the existing agricultural workforce.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) introduced an amendment to The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that would add the text of her bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This legislation, re-introduced by Lofgren and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) in May 2025, would create a workforce solution for America's agriculture industry by reforming the H-2A guestworker program to provide more flexibility for employers while ensuring protections for workers and providing legal status to the existing workforce. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was negotiated over nine months with input from employers and the United Farm Workers union, and it passed the House with strong bipartisan support in 2019 and 2021. "Farmers across the country are being adversely impacted by the agricultural workforce shortage. That's leading to unpicked crops and increased food prices," said Rep. Lofgren. "I've worked across the aisle for years to pass this labor solution, including with my late colleague Doug LaMalfa. It's critical that this Farm Bill includes the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and I'm hopeful that Congress can finally bring some stability to our agricultural sector." Rep. Lofgren's district includes San Benito County, the Pajaro Valley, and the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region commonly referred to as "America's Salad Bowl". The area produces over 70% of the nation's lettuce and almost 30% of the strawberries. Lofgren's amendment is being co-sponsored by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Reps. Jim Costa (CA-21), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Angie Craig (MN-02), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Kim Schrier (WA-08), and Salud Carbajal (CA-24). The text of the amendment can be read here. ### Issues:Growing a Strong EconomyImmigration

Ranking Member Lofgren's Opening Statement at NASA Budget Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Full Committee hearing titled, A Review of the President’s Budget Request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for Fiscal Year 2027. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren's (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: Thank you, Chairman Babin, for holding today’s hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for NASA. I want to give a special welcome to Administrator Isaacman, who is still newly minted in his role after only four months. I appreciate the passion and vigor you are bringing to your service, and I look forward to today’s discussion on NASA’s future. With the thrilling Artemis II mission still fresh in our minds, NASA gave us a taste of an inspiring, bold, and bright future for the agency. I want to congratulate you, Administrator, and ALL OF NASA and its industry and international partners, on Artemis II’s success, a proud and uplifting moment for America. At least from the outside, everything appeared to go smoothly, an outcome that rests on the grit, blood, sweat, and likely tears of thousands of employees. These workers sacrificed attending children’s birthday parties, anniversaries, and family vacations to put in the demanding work required to prepare Artemis II for its lunar journey. The Exploration Ground Support team deserves a loud shout-out and our thanks! However, on day three of their mission while Integrity’s crew were 99,900 statute miles from Earth, preparing for their lunar science observations, the President and Russ Vought released the FY2027 budget request. Like the FY2026 request, OMB once again tries to argue that NASA and the United States will continue to lead in space and Earth science, human exploration, aeronautics, and space technology while all but exploration would see draconian cuts. Cuts totaling $5.6 billion or 23% from the FY2026 enacted level is not wise. These reductions do not exactly send a welcome home message to the Artemis II crew or to the NASA workforce for that matter. The FY2027 request for NASA may have been largely locked down before you, Mr. Administrator, assumed your position, but it should come as no surprise that we have concerns. Exploration would see disproportionate increases under this proposal; the rest of NASA would not. Slashing space and Earth science, aeronautics, and space technology while our society increasingly depends on space assets and services to function is not a winning strategy. After all, the aerospace and aviation industry contributed a $74 billion positive manufacturing trade balance in 2024, yet the request would cut aeronautics by 35%. And attempting to zero out the Office of STEM Engagement—which is authorized in law by the way—when we have this golden opportunity to build on the inspiration of Artemis II to engage students in STEM education and careers makes no sense. I fully expect Congress to reject this request as we did in FY2026. Yet, as our Democratic staff report issued last week describes in great detail, NASA did not wait for Congress to act. NASA took premature and misguided actions to implement the FY2026 request before Congress acted on a full-year appropriation. I hope today’s discussion affirms the importance of respecting Congress’s role in shaping the agency’s direction and abiding by the decisions Congress makes about how appropriated funds are spent. While today’s hearing is primarily on the budget proposal, that is not the only question about NASA’s future. In late March, just about a month ago, NASA unveiled an extensive array of new initiatives titled “Ignition” to include, a Moon base, changes to the Artemis architecture, a potential new approach for low Earth orbit operations following the end of ISS, a series of new science initiatives, and a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.  I hope to hear more about these activities, because while they certainly sound interesting and ambitious, I am not aware that we have seen any plans, or cost and schedule estimates for them, nor were they included in NASA’s FY2027 budget request. With that, I look forward to hearing the Administrator’s testimony. And Mr. Chairman, before I yield, I would like to request unanimous consent to enter into the record our Democratic staff report titled, Mission Aborted: How NASA Illegally Implemented the President’s Budget Request Without Congressional Approval. I would close with this. Mr. Chairman, as you have said yourself, you are a conservative Republican from Texas. I am not. But we see this the same way, and I'm hopeful that we can work together and make sure that our country remains in the lead when it comes to space. Thank you. ### Issues:Innovation and Technology

Ranking Member Lofgren's Opening Statement at Robotics Hearing

Position: The federal government should establish a coherent national strategy for robotics research and development, including coordinated investment in both AI and hardware, and should develop safety standards for advanced robotics systems deployed in homes and public spaces.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a Research and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled, Robots Made in America: Advancing U.S. Leadership in Manufacturing and Automation. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren's (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: Thank you, Chairman Obernolte and Ranking Member Stevens, for holding today’s hearing. I would also like to thank our expert panel of witnesses for your testimony today. Significant progress in artificial intelligence has led to major innovation in robotics. Computer vision, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning have accelerated robotics development and allowed robots to be deployed in new environments and use cases. AI techniques have also accelerated the intelligence of fixed robots, enabling people to safely and easily control and work alongside them. My district is half Silicon Valley and half agriculture, so I have seen robotics take root in both of these sectors. Unfortunately, the significant policy interest in the software has not been matched by the policies that are needed to advance the full robotics system. Recent administrations – Democratic and Republican – have prioritized AI development while underinvesting in hardware development. The National Robotics Initiative, which was started by the Obama Administration in 2011 to coordinate federal investment in robotics R&D, was phased out in 2022. The current Administration’s AI Action plan included just one recommendation on robotics development as part of a longer list of next generation manufacturing technologies. While individual science agencies continue to make investments in robotics today, there is no coherent strategy for U.S. leadership. In the meantime, China has races ahead to claim that leadership position. My message today is simple: to reclaim our leadership in robotics innovation and manufacturing, the United States need to invest in both the “brains” and the “bodies” of these systems. We must also invest in solving the tricky problems at the intersection of the two. Let me provide an example. We have a long history of developing and implementing occupational safety standards for the use of fixed robotics systems that work alongside humans in our factories. However, many of these industrial safety protections do not account for advanced robotics systems that use AI and have variable decision making. Further, many companies are starting to talk about putting robots in places where no safety standards currently exist—including in our homes and in elder care facilities. We need to have a serious conversation as a nation about what safety means for robotics deployed in these settings before they cause physical harm. It’s bad enough when a delivery robot shatters a bus stop shelter. Imagine the consequences of having a 200-pound robot in your elderly parent’s living space without strong safety standards. Another major challenge is data. One of the main reasons for AI’s advancement in recent years is the broad availability of data to train AI systems. Computer vision was helped by access to images on the internet, and large language model development was improved by access to Wikipedia. However, until relatively recently, there were few equivalents for training physical robotics systems. Some U.S. organizations are trying to address this problem. Individual U.S. companies are developing data sets for their robotics systems. Over 21 academic institutions, including my alma mater Stanford University, have partnered to build large data sets of specific robotics tasks. However, this effort is being undertaken without direct federal support. Compare these relatively limited efforts to the national effort going on in the People’s Republic of China to generate robotics data. The country has launched data sharing initiatives, data factories where humans train robots by preforming tasks, and efforts to standardize training datasets and pipelines for robotics. America still can and must lead in the field of robotics. But to achieve that goal, we need a concerted, national effort to support innovation across the full robotics system. I look forward to hearing from each of our witnesses about the challenges and opportunities in robotics during today’s hearing. Thank you and I yield back. ### Issues:Innovation and Technology

Science Committee Democratic Staff Report Reveals Details on NASA’s Illegal Implementation of Trump’s FY2026 Budget Request Without Congressional Approval

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released a Minority Staff Report detailing how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) illegally implemented President Trump’s FY2026 budget request without Congressional approval. Upon release of the President’s budget request, under pressure from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NASA immediately began shutting down and defunding programs targeted in the budget proposal, with no direction from Congress. “A Presidential budget request means nothing until Congress acts on it,” said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren. “And in 2025, NASA implemented Trump’s budget proposal illegally, without any approval from Congress. The agency violated the basic separation-of-powers framework set forth in the Constitution. NASA’s actions derailed critical projects, demoralized its employees, and broke its trust with the scientific community and the private sector. NASA repeatedly denied what it was doing, but the facts prove otherwise. This staff report provides an overview of the evidence my team has gathered and highlights the damage NASA inflicted upon itself by yielding to pressure from OMB instead of following the law.” Ranking Member Lofgren continued, “A President’s Budget Request is not law. It cannot supersede the laws enacted by Congress. NASA must heed the warning of this report and prevent what happened in 2025 from happening again.” The staff report, Mission Aborted: How NASA Illegally Implemented the President's Budget Request Without Congressional Approval, brings to light NASA’s blatant disregard for the laws enacted by Congress and the severe consequences of this recklessness for the agency and the country. The report has six key findings: In 2025, NASA acted in concrete and formal ways to implement the proposals of the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 PBR). Senior political appointees, including then-Chief of Staff Brian Hughes and then-Senior Advisor to the Administrator Ryan Whitley, ordered staff to implement the FY26 PBR. Numerous whistleblowers throughout the agency disclosed firsthand accounts to Committee Staff about the FY26 PBR being implemented. NASA ordered the cancelation of the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project on the day that the full FY26 PBR was released. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center fatally undermined the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) proposal after its mission class was zeroed out in the FY26 PBR. NASA eliminated the Joint Agency Satellite Division (JASD) after the FY26 PBR proposed to end NASA’s role as the acquisition agent for NOAA’s satellite programs. The report is informed by whistleblower testimonies, documents, and emails, obtained from the Committee’s investigation, to confirm that NASA illegally implemented President Trump’s FY2026 budget request. The Democratic Staff Report can be found here. ### Issues:Innovation and Technology

Ranking Member Lofgren's Opening Statement at Subsurface Energy Hearing

Position: Ranking Member Lofgren expresses support for advancing research and development in geothermal energy technologies and for federally funded R&D to develop substitutes for critical minerals and to minimize environmental impacts of domestic mineral extraction.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding an Energy Subcommittee hearing titled, Subsurface Science and Technology: American Energy and Mineral Dominance. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren's (D-CA) opening statement as prepared for the record is below: Thank you, Chairman Weber and Ranking Member Ross, for holding this hearing today. I would also like to thank our panel of expert witnesses for appearing before the Committee to talk about subsurface research that will help secure our clean energy future. In particular, advanced geothermal technologies now hold great potential to be a clean energy solution across the U.S. My home state of California is helping lead geothermal innovation – hosting 53 of the 99 current U.S. geothermal power plants, accounting for 72% of the nation’s total capacity. The Geysers complex in California is the world’s largest producer of geothermal energy, generating enough electricity to power approximately 725,000 homes. The presence of such a significant facility has also stimulated STEM engagement in universities across the state, including San José State University in my district. So I certainly support efforts to advance research and development in geothermal energy to better understand how to deploy this renewable resource, while also leveraging the talent and enthusiasm of students in my district and across the country. Another important area that we’ll be discussing today is the Department of Energy’s R&D efforts to examine critical materials that are necessary for manufacturing a wide range of clean energy technologies. Unfortunately, many of these minerals and alloys are not readily available from domestic sources, and some important supply chains are controlled by nations that are not always our friends. Consistent with the well-vetted and bipartisan critical materials provisions in the Energy Act of 2020 that advanced through this Committee, I support continued research to develop viable substitutes to these materials that are derived from more abundant sources. And I also strongly support R&D to minimize the environmental impacts of identifying, extracting, and processing current domestic sources of critical materials that the industries of today and tomorrow will need. I very much look for to discussing these topics in more detail with the excellent panel we have here this morning, and with that I yield back the balance of my time. ### Issues:Energy and Environment