Donna Edwards

The President is requesting 18.5 billion dollars for NASA's programs and plans for fiscal year 2016.

I want to go back to the budget proposal because I indicated this in my opening statement about this idea of constancy of purpose for NASA.

I hope Congress has the foresight to commit the necessary resources to fund a humans-to-Mars plan, because it is a worthy goal.

NASA needs our constancy of purpose and direction now

Congress has done its share and funded JWST annually consistent with that rebaseline.

The road to building JWST has not been an easy one.

I just can't wait for JWST to be launched and working.

One of my concerns today though has to do with the Clean Water State Revolving Fund because I think they are also key to maintaining our Nation's wastewater needs.

It has been an amazingly productive EPA.

I really do want to give a special shout-out to the Federal workers at the EPA because I just think they do a tremendous job protecting our air and our water.

I just want you to know how much we welcome that as Marylanders because I think this fragile ecosystem that is so important to the vitality of the States and the region is on the road to recovery.

We were dealing then with the aftermath and the report back from the bridge collapsing in Minnesota.

I shudder to think that every time I am driving, I have to actually look up in addition to paying attention.

We do know that neglected problems have a way eventually of falling down on us.

And so I want to ask you, especially in some untraditional sectors, like transportation, like research and technology, how it is that we could function as a Federal Government in our oversight capacity in the Congress and try to tease out…

One of the challenges that I found on our Transportation Committee is getting reports back about how much of those significant Federal dollars went down and out to minority- and women-owned businesses.

Minority businesses represent 35 percent of the population but only 22 percent of the businesses.

If we deny a segment of our community its full potential, we lose the strength in our economy.

It is a matter of the values of America. We believe that everyone should have the opportunities of this country.

Well, first of all, thank you very much, Senator Cardin, for being here, and particularly in Prince George's County.

We must do a better job in allowing those creative individuals the opportunity to have the financing necessary to achieve their dream.

It is important because, you know, the public believes that the work that you are undertaking now is entirely your own, and you are entirely footing the bill.

I want NASA and its commercial partners to succeed so that NASA and the nation will regain human spaceflight access to low-Earth orbit once again.

Safety has and will continue to be a priority of this Committee, and the NASA Authorization Act of 2015 directs that safety be the highest priority of the commercial crew program.

I hope that this committee will have the opportunity to discuss all of NASA's programs and plans that comprise its $18 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2016.