Steven Palazzo

It is a shame that we have gotten so far to the edge of the financial cliff in this country.

It is always good to talk about, you know, the things, the decades of financial mismanagement that have actually led us here today.

When would NASA and the international partners need to decide on extending the life of the ISS?

If we get commercial crew at some point, we would like to increase the number of crew members on the flights from three to four.

What about upper stages that are discarded upon launch?

We are going to be having a hearing on indemnification in late spring.

And were the funds available, in your view, would space transportation grants take priority over your other regulatory and safety responsibilities?

But just to finish up, on the documentation that I am looking at, there is no money set aside for spaceport grants in 2012.

Unfortunately, in the current tough economic times, we have to prioritize all of our activities.

I think it will be very important that we have a good sense of requirements as we come up on orbital spaceflight.

In terms of what is different with NASA, NASA is free to impose whatever requirements it believes are appropriate for its NASA astronauts.

It is also critical that a delineation of roles and responsibilities among FAA's various offices be clearly articulated.

It is my hope that FAA will use this time to engage with industry stakeholders on its regulatory approach.

I want to assure you that we greatly value your expertise and wisdom, and your testimony will benefit this Committee.

We do not break the trust that we have with our men and women in uniform, not only those currently serving, but those who have served, as well as their families and their communities.

I think the military can be more efficient and more effective. I think we can find some cuts, but you know, $5 billion is not unacceptable.

Personally I think there will be some savings from the winding down of actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but too often we take end of one war to mean that there will never be another action.

I am here to inform the men and women of this committee that this is a risk to our national security that I am not willing to take.

My biggest concern remains the fact that the president's budget includes a reduction of more than $5 billion from last year's request.

These are more than just dollar signs on a page, these are real reductions in the readiness and capabilities of our nation's military.

I come before you today with grave concerns regarding the state of our nation's defense spending priorities.

NASA seems to be an agency without a clear mission.

Do you think that is a good thing is to take the 80 percent and push it...

I don't want to balance our financial woes on the backs of our men and women in uniform.

I do believe it is going to hollow out our forces and our military and it is going to cost more time, blood and treasure to reconstitute it.