Director of White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Michael Kratsios: “Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space”

Speaking at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios delivered a rousing speech on the dawn of a new American Golden Age. With a sweeping call to action, Kratsios outlined the administration’s vision for revitalizing the country’s technological leadership and reversing decades of stagnation.

Kratsios began by acknowledging the challenges of recent decades, arguing that America has fallen behind—not for lack of ability, but due to a retreat from bold innovation. “Stagnation was a choice,” he said, criticizing regulatory policies dating back to the 1970s that stifled industry and innovation. “But we are capable of so much more.”

Echoing President Trump’s agenda, Kratsios declared it is time to reclaim the pioneering spirit that once made the United States the leader in nuclear energy, space exploration, and the Internet. “Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space,” he proclaimed. “They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity.”

The address emphasized a clear dichotomy facing the nation: a choice between advancing through innovation or continuing to borrow from the future. “Our choice as a civilization is technology or debt. And we have chosen debt. Today we choose a better way.”

To achieve this, Kratsios laid out a threefold strategy—promote American innovation, protect critical technologies, and remove regulatory barriers. He called for smarter allocation of R&D funds, common-sense regulatory reform, and a stronger federal role in adopting and exporting American-made technology.

He also stressed the need to defend against rivals like China, advocating strict export controls, secure supply chains, and protection of U.S. intellectual property.

Kratsios concluded by urging scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs not to retreat from politics but to help shape a future worthy of America’s past. “It is the choices of individuals that will make the new American Golden Age possible.”