Political Quotes

“I think another major issue that we've addressed in this bill is the issue of space. Years ago, when we went to the Moon, the whole country understood how important space was to the national defense of our country, and, in those days, everyone knew the names of the astronauts the same as they know the names of NFL quarterbacks today. And yet, because of the fact that there hasn't been as much in space, we as a country need to educate our constituents how important space is. We are the strongest country in the world, and one of the main reasons is because we are active and control the skies. Yet, right now, our space program has to be reinvigorated, and we have to refocus on that. America, again, controls the world because we control the skies. Our investment in space keeps us safe. If we fail to make that investment, other countries will move ahead and edge us out. As an example, China is going to the Moon. They are spending time, research, and development to go to the Moon. Currently, we rely on the Russians to get to the international space station. We must reinvest in the capabilities to give us the edge in space. We also need to think about different ways to get ahead. The bill breaks down barriers of our launch industry. All options need to be on the table as we talk about keeping America's edge in space. I reserve the balance of my time.”