Quotes from Bill Foster

Science, logic, and truth should not be partisan issues; they are the cornerstones of fields that have made the United States a leader in innovation and a better place for everyone to live.

My dad spent most of the '50s and early '60s actually acting as sort of an advance man for the Justice Department, as a civil rights lawyer. So it was actually reading his papers after he passed away a few years ago that first started me thinking about this... What fraction of your life do you spend in service to your fellow man?

If we choose to ignore science and refuse to fund important scientific research, we voluntarily cede our place as a world leader in innovation.

I supported and voted for the public option in the version of the Affordable Care Act passed by the U.S. House. Had it been incorporated into the final version of the ACA, it would have done much to increase the competitiveness of ACA Exchange Marketplaces.

Lawmakers imagine they can be political heroes by voting for budgets that slash scientific research by 20 percent, but they inhibit our ability to respond to health crises.

As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.

I think the amount of love and trust on Capitol Hill is often in short supply, and having more dogs here would probably make this place work better and maybe in a more bipartisan manner.

I was surprised that when you get into electoral politics how scientific the analysis was in the electorate. You can identify on a state-by-state or district-by-district basis fundamental building blocks that behave in different ways. I was impressed in general with the sophistication of polling.

The United States will always be a global leader, and we need to actively engage the international community to make sure all citizens of the world live freely and equally under their country's rule of law. We cannot, however, afford to fight other nations' wars interminably or stabilize their regions.

I really believe in U.S. manufacturing and U.S. exports, but we have to have a level playing field.

Scientific discovery requires sustained funding for decades, and politicians can destroy it in a single budget cycle.

The decline of particle physics in the U.S. is really a symptom of the erratic and sometimes anti-scientific attitudes in Washington and the incompetence of Congress in managing science.

When I see the sort of mindless tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts to education, I just think we've got it exactly backward in this country.

One of the big concerns is the increasing disrespect for the scientific method and for policies that aren't based on facts and evidence.

Federal policies must understand the linkages between economic growth, social mobility, and a strong middle class.

As a scientist, the starting point is always the facts of the matter, whereas often, in politics, the starting point is how does this play in the next election.

Spend a while listening to people in your district to make sure you understand how they are served well in government and how they could be served better.

Properly funding federal research at Argonne National Labs and Fermi National Accelerator Labs will also create jobs and directly benefit the Eleventh District.

Immigrants greatly contribute to our country's economic prosperity.

Whoever is running the country should not be in the pay of a foreign interest. The best way is to see tax returns.

I don't want to do anything that capitalizes personally on the fact that I've been in public service.

Those in science perform research, have it reviewed by their peers, publish the results, and believe the answer should be obvious.

From a scientific point of view, it's hard for me to understand why someone in the Texas Panhandle should not have access to the same research funds that someone in the Oklahoma Panhandle can have.

I'm pushing - on a bipartisan basis, actually - to get federal support for the creation of high-quality textbooks that can be downloaded for free on the Internet.