I'm assuming he's embarrassed for the committee, given that he's a hack of a poet. It's like Obama's peace prize. Boomers shouldn't be allowed to vote for anything.
Specifically I think they're rushing the replicants have memories and feelings angle. I think that should have taken longer to come out. But I don't know the source material at all.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three-Body_Problem
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Fantastic story, and unusual because it's current-ish hard science fiction.