RE: The Nomination of Michael Kratsios to be United States Chief Technology Officer
Dear Chairman Wicker and Ranking Member Cantwell,
We write to you to express our enthusiastic support for the nomination of Michael Kratsios to be the Associate Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the United States Chief Technology Officer (CTO). We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to quickly approve him.
Mr. Kratsios is supremely qualified to be this nation's top technology official. After graduating from Princeton University and spending more than six years in Silicon Valley advising and managing investments in technology companies, he joined the OSTP as Deputy CTO at the beginning of the Trump Administration. Until Kelvin Droegemeier was confirmed as Director of the OSTP this January, Kratsios was instrumental in running the office.
With the CTO position vacant, Mr. Kratsios led the development and implementation of the Trump Administration’s technology policy initiatives for the last two years. In that role, his accomplishments have been many, including:
Advancing our nation's leadership in 5G technology through the issuance of a presidential order creating a National Spectrum Strategy;
Championing the Administration's initiative to increase rural America's access to high-speed broadband internet service;
Launching President Trump's Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which is designed to enhance America's leadership position in AI as well as the required education and training of our workforce;
Leading the Administration's successful efforts to enact legislation establishing a national quantum computing strategy;
Working to promote America's autonomous vehicle and commercial drone industries by safely opening up the nation's roads and airspace to them; and
Leading the development of a national strategy for prioritizing education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Michael Kratsios "knows that innovation is about people as much as technology, and that we need education and training policies to help students and workers succeed in a tech-powered economy," said Ginni Rometty, the president and CEO of IBM, who made clear that his "deep understanding of technology and proven ability to work with leaders in business, academia, NGOs, and government make him an outstanding choice to be the next Chief Technology Officer."
Aneesh Chopra, who served as CTO under President Obama, also applauded the nomination of Mr. Kratsios, emphasizing that he "has demonstrated sound judgment on prioritizing policies that will enhance American competitiveness in the jobs and industries of the future.”
Michael Kratsios's confirmation would be an important step in advancing that competitiveness and ensuring American leadership in the emerging technologies that are an increasingly large part of the national and global economies. As we enter "a bold new era in technological advancements, Michael will excel as U.S. CTO in shaping and strengthening U.S. competitiveness in these emerging fields,” said OSTP Director Droegemeier.
President Trump and Director Droegemeier need to have Kratsios in place as the confirmed CTO and a vital part of their science and technology leadership team in order to accomplish the remainder of the OSTP's important agenda during the final two years of the President's first term. We ask that the Senate Commerce Committee work to swiftly approve Mr. Kratsios.
Sincerely,
Curt Levey
President
The Committee for Justice
Ashley Baker
Director of Public Policy
The Committee for Justice