“The United States and Canada maintain the world’s largest trading relationship, one that has been strengthened during the past fifteen years by the approval of two multilateral free trade agreements,” according to another recently updated Congressional Research Service report (pdf).
“But it has been over security-related matters, particularly defense spending, Iraq, and missile defense, that the two governments had their sharpest differences.”
“Notwithstanding these controversies, Canada and the United States have been working together on a number of fronts to thwart terrorism, including strengthening border security, sharing intelligence and expanding law enforcement cooperation.”
See “Canada-U.S. Relations,” updated May 15, 2007.
The public rarely sees the quiet, often messy work that goes into creating, passing, and implementing a major piece of legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act.
If this proposed rule were enacted it would have deleterious effects on government workers in general and federal researchers and scientists, specifically.
When we introduce “at-will” employment to government employees, we also introduce the potential for environments where people are more concerned about self-preservation than service to others.
There is no better time to re-invigorate America’s innovation edge by investing in R&D to create and capture “industries of the future,” re-shoring capital and expertise, and working closely with allies to expand our capabilities while safeguarding those technologies that are critical to our security.