I want to thank the nominees for their history of service and their continued willingness to serve our country.

The Civil Works program of the Corps is so important to the Nation.

I think NASA plays a real, real important role.

If the Nation decides that returning to the surface of the Moon is an important objective, ... the point of the Flexible Path is to get the necessary infrastructure in place.

Learning more about asteroids is in everybody's interest.

I think the relationship that you and--Mr. Chairman--the Ranking Member, Senator Rockefeller, have had in regard with this issue is a great example of that.

I appreciate your leadership and the Ranking Member's in having the hearing. This is really very important.

I think Flexible Path is clearly kicking that can down the road because it is not clear how we are going to pay for the development of those much more expensive systems.

I am grateful that the Ranking Member of the full Committee, Senator Hutchison, is with us today.

I wish the entire crew of the Shuttle and those already aboard the Space Station success in carrying out this very important mission.

I think we have to look for objectives that are new and interesting, that maximize these other benefits, including scientific knowledge.

I think it is important for us to get that heavy lift capability just as quickly as we can.

We are committed in a very bipartisan way to help you in any way that we can.

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We've spent all this money, and right now--up to now, what we have is less secure than a driver's license.

We do need to work with him, with the administration, and others, to somehow call a halt to spending hundreds of millions of dollars and still, 10 years later, not having a secure ID.

The results of this GAO study are troubling, including the multiple breaches at facilities by investigators using fraudulent and/or counterfeit TWIC cards.

The point is, it's so easy to obtain these things fraudulently.

I hope that the Administration will express support for the biomass definition used in the 2008 Farm bill.

I think at some point we really need to have DOD in the room with these folks in the sense of again, like with the TAP program, I mean, that is a joint effort.

Our employers are doing a tremendous job.

I really feel like that the TAP needs to be done early.

It is very important to my State and really just in the Nation in general in the sense that we certainly need the resources that it engenders.