Lamar Smith News

Rep. Darrell Issa is preparing to introduce an immigration bill this week that proposes to boost the number of visas for highly skilled workers while eliminating the diversity visa program that Democrats are keen to preserve.

The best way to win a political argument is by manipulating the rhetoric used to describe the two sides in a debate.

A key House committee chairman on Wednesday sharply criticized a wide-ranging immigration bill just passed by a Senate committee, underscoring the difficulties ahead as the politically volatile measure moves forward in a divided Congress.

NASA's plan to lasso an asteroid for astronauts as a deep-space dry run for a future mission to Mars has some members of Congress wondering if the space agency would be better off setting its sights on the moon instead.

"Challenging accepted beliefs through open debate and critical thinking is a primary part of the scientific process.

Last week on Twitter I lamented the simplistic public discourse on climate change, how it's often framed by those who dismiss the legitimate concerns of a warming planet and those who play up those concerns.

Lamar Smith, a Republican, represents Texas's 21st District in the U.S. House and is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

"What if the government starts enforcing the espionage statute whenever there's a leak?" Steve Roberts, a former New York Times journalist who teaches at George Washington University, observed to the Baltimore Sun.

"What if the government starts enforcing the espionage statute whenever there's a leak?" Steve Roberts, a former New York Times journalist who teaches at George Washington University, observed to The Baltimore Sun.

Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven Miller has resigned, amid a probe into a plot by the agency to target conservative groups.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee that the criminal investigation of the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS will be nationwide.

This is perhaps the most inflammatory way to describe the current initiatives by governments all over the world to limit our online freedom, but that is what makes it the most appropriate.

The National Science Foundation today rebuffed a request from the chairman of the House of Representatives science committee to obtain reviewer comments on five social science research projects it is funding.

Rep. Mike Rogers , the head of the House Intelligence Committee and a Republican looking into the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, said more "whistleblowers" have volunteered to supply information that could be valuable to a GOP-led investigation.

The National Science Foundation needs one more week to reply to a controversial request from the chairman of the House of Representatives science committee to explain why five social sciences grants were approved.

Questioning the security of the border, a go-to tactic for the forces seeking to derail immigration reform, has lost some of its punch.

Three former Directors of the National Science Foundation and three former Chairmen of the National Science Board have written to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee asking them to "forego any further action on the process envisioned in this draft legislation and the request contained in the April 25 ... (more)

So the House convened yet another hearing on Thursday, this time with some of the smartest space people in the country, to check in and see if they've found us a new planet to live on - preferably with water, oxygen, moderate temperatures, and giraffes.

Instead of legislating, lawmakers frequently turn to partisan bickering, driving themselves into impassible stalemate.

A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers wants the United States to have a Science Laureate.