Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I rise tonight to speak in support of the international space station in this VA-HUD appropriations bill. I urge my…”

“I rise tonight to speak in support of the international space station in this VA-HUD appropriations bill. I urge my colleagues to pause and reflect on America's great accomplishments in space and the great successes that lie ahead with the space station. The House of Representatives has fully funded the President's request and has taken important steps to fund the space station's future needs such as a crew rescue vehicle and a six-person crew habitation module. The Senate bill cuts the space station by $150 million. I hope to work with my colleagues, Senators Mikulski and Bond, to restore some of this into the program. It should be restored with strict controls and standards to assure the station will be safe and productive and on budget. I am concerned, as I know many others are, about the recently projected cost growth for the international space station. I do want it to be fully functioning. In order to achieve that goal, NASA must work within the budget that Congress has given it. At the same time, I understand the difficulty in estimating the cost of such an amazing engineering feat. We are now within a year of the station being 'core complete,' and I believe Congress must adequately fund the station so we can begin to see the benefits of its unique scientific research. NASA's projected 5-year cost growth of over $4 billion includes many program liens that reflect 2 years of actual operational experience for the station.”