On the recordMay 9, 2012
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) for yielding and for outlining the concerns that a number of people have about this program. I believe that, despite our differences--and it may not really be that much of a difference--we share a common goal of providing reliable domestic access to the space station in the fastest and most cost- effective manner. We are paying the Russians $60 million a seat to get there. So we want to get there as fast as we can for the lowest cost that we can so we can utilize that space station, which cost us $100 billion. I know the gentleman is a staunch supporter of commercial spaceflight. And if the gentleman believes that he can get NASA to come up with a clearer and more reasonable plan, we want to work with him. We look forward to discussing results as we move forward with the process. And I will tell him that we will work together.
