Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank the panel for being here today.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I share my congratulations with the Chairwoman and the Ranking Member, as my colleagues have, and am delighted to be here.

I am going to reclaim my time.

I can tell you that on $4.50 a day, I was pushed towards the kinds of simple carbohydrates that give you a full belly, but aren't nutritionally sound and completely inappropriate; rice, pasta, ramen.

This committee really can do something and should do something.

And I am encouraging the subcommittee and the full committee to ensure that we have the opportunity to do that.

I wish that wasn't the case. I wish none of us had those real harmful criminal activities or issues that we have to deal with in our communities.

And my hope in every hearing, but particularly these kind of hearings, where the stakes are so high, that we do everything in our power to do things that we can do right now.

Yes. The Air Force is prepared to work with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

I believe that the F-16 mission will continue to be an important mission for the Air Force, but I am also looking towards the future and the potential for the F-35.

And I know that you are putting a top priority on this and being very aggressive. Thank you very much for that.

The Air Force is committed to continuing the work done by Operationally Responsive Space (ORS).

Like you, I am concerned about the impacts of sequestration on our military readiness.

Thank you, Chairman Barrasso.

We are learning how important early childhood education is. There is no doubt about that.

Investing in space technology is investing in our future.

But Congress passed the last NASA authorization act in 2010, as I just mentioned.

Scientific research and improving technology transfer and commercialization is smart investment.