The concern that I have is that the Administration did not propose offsets to account for the increase.

I had hoped that the Administration would have demonstrated leadership by proposing a realistic budget.

I want to get away from dependence on the Russians. We now have American commercial cargo capability demonstrated.

If I don't have commercial crew and cargo, the International Space Station, I can't get to Mars.

Cuts to the Planetary Science Division will empty the pipeline for outer-planet missions and force scientists and engineers into other fields and to foreign projects.

I believe the taxpayer's investment in NASA is generally well spent, and that I support increasing NASA's budget.

Unfortunately, the President's budget proposal does not comply with his own Budget Control Act.

Cuts to NASA education hurt NASA's ability to engage and inspire the next generation of explorers.

I happen to choose Buzz Aldrin's number one priority as Mars because moon is on the way.

I believe the taxpayers' investment in NASA is generally well spent, and that I support increasing NASA's budget if we're assured American access to space.

Cuts to Heliophysics are weakening our ability to understand and predict solar storms that could threaten astronauts in space.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) represents a significant investment by the U.S. taxpayer and holds the promise of producing revolutionary science that one day may rewrite textbooks.

denying information to ASAP or Congress about the Commercial Crew Program is unacceptable when the hardworking American taxpayers are footing the bill for the program, and the safety of our astronauts is on the line.

I truly believe that we can come together to address these concerns in a constructive, bipartisan way so that we can once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil.

Together, we will fix this, and in only a few more years we will be launching once again Americans, on American rockets, from American soil.

It is absolutely imperative that we understand the gravity of what it means to carry our astronauts into space.

However, since 2011, the United States has depended entirely on Russia to transport our astronauts to the International Space Station.

It should be a top priority to launch American astronauts on American rockets from America soil as soon as is safely possible.

Mr. Gerstenmaier, we are currently paying Russia $76 million for a Soyuz seat to the ISS, which has historically increased nine percent per year.

We are working steadily, thoughtfully, and efficiently with NASA to yield the safest and most reliable astronaut transportation system that the world has ever seen.

The commercial space industry will ensure that America remains a world leader in space exploration.

Congress and the American people deserve to have answers to the questions posed by ASAP.

I hope that we are doing everything that we can, as Members of Congress, to provide your agency, as well as others with the resources to counter this threat.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued to be a thorn in the side of the United States because of their failure to halt the expansion of their nuclear program as well as the support of terrorist groups like Hamas.

In the future, Orion and SLS will serve as the tip of the spear for our nation's space exploration program.