I wish the American people would wake up to that reality, and I think they may have us prioritize, or at least try to keep our leadership in space.

I didn't expect to make this a China-specific hearing, but it seems like from my trip to PACOM back in 2011, all of our allies and friends and partners pretty much had China on their minds.

If the United States of America is no longer able to keep the shipping lanes open and free for commerce and passage, what kind of implications would that have on the U.S. economy?

I keep hearing that personnel is a serious issue that Customs and Border Protection are, you know, recruiting and retaining and training Border Patrol agents.

if we are going to throw 20,000 more Border Patrol agents at the border, billions of dollars in more resources...

I strongly believe that any NASA Authorization bill that comes out of this Committee should reflect those realities.

This is a flawed draft, starting from its funding assumptions, and I cannot support it in its present form.

It also cuts NASA's Earth Science budget by one-third, which I find baffling.

This authorization bill reflects a sincere effort to maximize return to the taxpayer while working to protect America's role as the world leader in space exploration.

We have offered solid solutions and replacements for these damaging cuts, and we stand ready to work with the Senate and the Administration to replace the sequester with responsible, strategic cuts.

My goal for this hearing is to ensure that all of our Members have an opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and debate important topics.