Kay Bailey Hutchison

we agree that we need to get the Commercial Crew up so that we are not dependent on the Russians.

We look forward to working with you on it.

And I am glad Boeing is.

We can't fudge on the future in that way.

And I am just trying to get a way forward.

I am concerned about the funding levels for the vehicle development portion of the Space Launch System and the Orion crew vehicle.

We have agreed to develop the heavy launch vehicle to carry the Orion crew exploration vehicle to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit.

we are here to try to keep that momentum going in the right direction.

But the budget and the future, Mr. Administrator, the budget and the future are being jeopardized.

we are not giving up on space flight. It is very important to move forward.

We have agreed to support the ongoing development of the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA is not 'adrift' as some have been saying for the last 3 years.

I know it doesn't seem like it, but this is going to be cheaper for the American taxpayer in the long run.

The President's request is about $2 billion under the amount this committee authorized for the agency, leaving us with some tough choices on how to preserve the balanced approach for NASA.

It took us a year to even get a contract that would even begin to be put out there.

That gives me comfort.

I am committed in my last year to assure that we go in the right direction, utilizing our resources wisely.

I do support additional funding and the goal of a Commercial Crew vehicle because I think that is an important first step.

And if you look at the designs of the commercial competition that is going on, you find that the crew is on the top of the rocket with the escape system.

Are you saying that with the $330 million cut that it is not going to affect the NASA workforce?

Now I have heard you say that, well, it takes longer to complete the human safety ratings for the vehicles, and we need to have catch-up time.

We have agreed to bring to fruition the beginning of operational commercial cargo delivery flights to the International Space Station.

I was, frankly, floored, as you know from our conversation, that it would be so blatant to take it right out of Orion and SLS and put it into Commercial Crew.

we can also not stop the beyond low-Earth orbit.

we have got a disconnect here if you are saying that is the baseline budget.