Brian Babin

Unfortunately, the last eight years have been characterized by turmoil, and by upheaval and uncertainty.

We cannot blame anybody else but us. We must not let the nation down. We must not let our young people down.

It rests with this Committee and Congress, not the White House, on what is authorized and what is appropriated in this Congress.

I think that is criminal that we spend three percent of our budget on aeronautics.

We need to get the politics out of these important programs for our nation's sake.

The American people will suffer the consequences of this plan is what it looks like to me.

I hope this hearing can be used to identify and determine the necessary first steps in that process.

It is time for NASA to initiate constructive dialogue with the private sector to assess the viability of public-private partnerships for the provision of space-based Earth observation data to meet NASA program requirements.

If we are going to ask NASA and its contractors to carry out the extremely challenging job of getting America to Mars, this Congress is going to have do its job too.

This sounds good, but it is actually a journey to nowhere until we have that budget and we have the schedule and we have the deadlines.

Great nations do great things. And fortune favors the bold.

My hope is that folks across the Administration will reverse course and begin to support the SLS and Orion programs, and the workforce that makes them possible, with the funding necessary to continue their success.

Space exploration is a challenging endeavor that distinguishes the United States as a global leader, supports innovation and economic growth, and inspires the next generation to build, explore, and to discover.

Unfortunately, year after year, the Obama Administration has consistently cut funding and deprioritized NASA space exploration and planetary science.

I believe this investment is worthwhile and that the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Support for the ISS and its operations and utilization is not a partisan issue. It is an American issue.

This will be one of the most costly regulations ever issued in history for the American public and especially for my home State of Texas.

This will eliminate a lot of that.

It will cost us 347,322 lost jobs per year, $1,430 drop in average household consumption per year.

$140 billion every year, with a B. EPA's new proposed regulations would cost my home State of Texas $286 billion.

In order to maintain our leadership, we must strategically prioritize our government investments.

Civil and general aviation is responsible for 11.8 million jobs in the U.S. and generates 5.4 percent of our gross domestic product.

Aviation accounts for $1.5 trillion in economic activity and a $78.3 billion positive trade balance.

It is truly an honor and a privilege.

I want to thank our witnesses for being here today and for their important work.