Lamar Smith

At a fundamental level, space exploration--the mission of NASA--is about inspiration.

The future of this Nation's exploration efforts lead to Mars. The first flag to fly on another planet in our solar system should be that of the United States.

Great nations do great things. President Kennedy's call to the Nation wasn't just about reaching the Moon, it was a reminder that we are an exceptional nation.

Our Nation's human exploration program can inspire our youth, advance our technological capabilities, and support our geopolitical objectives.

We need to hear from NASA if we are to properly assess its human exploration program.

Regrettably, the Obama administration has contributed to this situation.

At a fundamental level, space exploration-the mission of NASA-is about inspiration.

I thank the gentleman from Virginia, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for yielding me time this afternoon. Madam Chairman, I support H.R. 2804, the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act, known as the…

More than anything, we just need for NASA to come--to pick missions that--and fund missions that are going to contribute to our knowledge, that are going to inspire the Nation, and we hope to get to that point.

While consensus on Capitol Hill might be hard to find, there is general agreement that the President's asteroid retrieval mission inspires neither the scientific community nor the public.

This mismatch needs to be addressed if NASA is to efficiently and effectively develop enduring strategic directions of any sort.

Actual deportations from the interior are down 40 percent.

The problem is other administrations, including the Bush administration and the Clinton administration, did not include turn-backs at the border as a part of their deportation numbers.

If they think a law is unconstitutional, they should wait for the courts to rule, but their opinion is no substitute for due process and judicial review.

Shouldn't individuals in our country illegally, who have been charged with these kinds of crimes, shouldn't they be a priority to remove?

All true reform starts with the voice of the people.

Ours is a Nation of laws, not a Nation of random enforcement.

Mr. Chairman, the Obama Administration has ignored laws, failed to enforce laws, undermined laws, and changed laws by executive orders and administrative actions.

The Secret Science Reform Act of 2014 is a result of more than two years of investigative work on the part of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

I want to thank the former chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for yielding me time. H.R. 2431, the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013, makes minor improvements to the NIDIS…

The devastating impact of EPA's overreach can be felt from state houses to farmhouses across the Nation.

State regulators know how to protect the environment within their borders better than federal employees in Washington, D.C.

The EPA's Draft Water Rule is a massive power grab that undermines states' rights.

Americans are tired of the red tape that hampers economic growth.

The EPA's efforts to demonize hydraulic fracturing are another example of an agency putting partisan politics above sound science.