John Boozman

We are faced with the largest deficit in our nation's history.

Advances in science and engineering are essential for America's economic growth and global competitiveness.

I think the thing that concerns me is that, last year, as a Member of Congress... that simply does not reflect that negotiation, that authorization bill.

In the past year, there have been two failures of the payload faring mechanism for the vehicles launching the orbiting carbon observatory, and recently, the Glory mission.

Is there any way that you believe that you could actually meet the 2016 contingency availability of the systems at the funding levels projected in the Fiscal Year 2012 request?

I think we're going to have to use our strategic partners to help us continue with the numbers of students that we reach at higher-ed and even in the middle schools.

The funding levels requested for education programs are less than those authorized for Fiscal Year 2012. And I think Congress would like to see increased educational activity at NASA.

At the end of this process, Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill, with more than 400 votes between the two chambers.

Those things are so important: exposing young people.

I'm pleased to be serving as the Ranking Member of the Science and Space Subcommittee.

It is important not only, like I say, a fairness issue, doing things right, but also the importance of the economy.

Every place I go, people are so angry.

But my concern and the concern of many others is that the agency, this agency, other agencies, are trying to do things that they don't have the statutory authority to do.

I really feel kind of bad in the sense, you know, there for a while I literally--as being Chair and then Ranking Member on the Veterans' Employment Subcommittee, Economic Opportunity--it seemed like, you know, we were meeting every month…

I want to congratulate you on being Chairman. I look forward to working with you and Senator Burr as we all push forward and work really hard to get a lot of stuff accomplished for veterans.

I am very concerned that perhaps employers are starting--maybe psychologically or whatever, sometimes willfully, it is difficult.

In Arkansas, the name of the game right now and really throughout the country is jobs, jobs, jobs.

I appreciate that and appreciate those efforts. Again I think some really number values as far as economic impact are helpful.

I really do think that is the question of the day right now.

I guess my question, as you mentioned, I am so pleased to hear that you are working, you know, with your counterpart on the EPA to try and figure out, you know, these things as they go forward.

As you know, the ag business is tremendously important in Arkansas, and I had the opportunity to visit with many of my producers.

We live in a country where it is very difficult to protect ourselves against all the challenges that we face from a number of different areas, but we need to have the ability to respond once something happens.

Are we using sound science, are we getting the emotion out of the play, and are we helping producers and entities as we make changes that in many cases threaten the very existence.

We need to have fair trade.

One of the first things I did as a new Senator was go to my big paper mill in Pine Bluff, AR.