On the recordFebruary 25, 2013
I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman from Maryland--who is also the ranking member of the Space Subcommittee--for her comments, particularly for her personal comments, and I certainly share her concerns about the severe cuts that NASA and our space exploration programs might take if the sequestration goes into effect, but I also feel compelled to point out that there is a way to avoid that sequestration. The House of Representatives, under the Republican leadership, has already passed two bills that would take the place of the sequestration, and the Senate has yet to act. After all, the sequestration was the President's idea to start with, so I hope we will hear from the President and the Senate various suggestions as to how the sequestration can be avoided, but the House has certainly done its job to avoid those heavy-handed cuts. With that, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 667. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
