Bill Nelson actually said...

"If we give up that pursuit, we become a second-rate nation."

"As I ask a series of questions of you all, I want you to be thinking about, at some point, I will want each of you to talk about examples of the tangible benefits from the space program, specifically ..."

"It has been suggested that NASA have a DARPA for these advanced projects. Do you think that would allow more entrepreneurial activity?"

"There has been enormous collateral damage in the rest of the human spaceflight program as a result."