Donna Edwards

I share their uncertainty and confusion because as a Member of this Committee, I am uncertain and confused about what NASA is doing.

Congresswoman Giffords from Arizona, who has been a huge proponent of expanding our manufacturing base.

If you could both share it with the committee, obviously share it with me, but also make sure that is copied to Congresswoman Gifford's office.

I want to share with you a story from rural Maryland.

Thank you very much for the work that you do, the fine work at NIST.

when we vote to cut funding for NOAA, we are essentially voting to expose people to risk.

I hope that, in Congress, we actually recognize the danger and the jeopardy that we put in peoples' lives and their businesses and their communities when we willy-nilly cut the important science investigation, research, personnel and…

I just want to let you know how much we really do appreciate all of the work of the fine Federal workers.

Well, it is not confusing because we work very, very hard to get that additional funding for STEM.

You can call it global warming, climate change. And so I want to go on record and have always been one that is willing to talk climate change and know that we have to start addressing it and doing something about it.

I think there are a number of areas where--what I am trying to read is whether the authorization that we only just recently approved kind of matches your budget priorities.

we won't have the tools to look at these things in the way that we need to that cost human lives

So I ask you, how are we supposed to increase participation in STEM if we are cutting the very programs that foster interest in STEM in the first place, and how are you, how is your agency adjusting to this?

I hope that you will look into the legislation that has been introduced by Mr. Bartlett and myself along with Congressman Sarbanes and others as a way to get there.

it feels odd to talk about new investments in science and technology and research and the things that are actually going to make us grab hold of the 21st century when we are cutting in this Congress

the White House and the President could do a much better job of helping the public understand the value of investment in NASA and space exploration

it is mindboggling to look at the kind of cuts across a number of agencies where the investments that we need to make for the future are exactly the ones that are being put on the chopping block

We can actually do some things through our tax policy and across agencies to incentivize not just the R&D.

the country take a step back to ensure that any future offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico lives up to claims of safety and reliability.

If the Congress is unable or unwilling to impose the fees that you have--that are recommended, then inevitably, the cuts that are proposed for the agencies that would have oversight and responsibility in this regulatory framework would…

Yes, and just to conclude and I will yield my time, I mean it does strike me that there is a very significant inconsistency in our desire to make sure that both industry and commerce are not impacted by a spill of this kind of significance…

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Glad I made it back in the nick of time.

the BP spill shows the need for more robust public capacity to respond quickly and safely to oil spills

the BP spill demonstrated the need to amend and to strengthen that act.

I want to thank the Coast Guard and the EPA and the other Federal and local agencies who were involved in the response.