Nick Lampson: “one of the people who I think about when I listen to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) speak is Keely…”

“one of the people who I think about when I listen to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) speak is Keely Woodruff, a 6-year-old girl who has a developmental age of only 22 because of epileptic seizures, who now is progressing nicely because of a device invented through our efforts in space. The contributions NASA has made to our country and the world are absolutely priceless. This is an ill-conceived, ill-thought-out amendment. It actually works against the apparent interest of the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) of holding down costs as it requires construction without a thoughtful plan, a construction effort, I might add, comparable to our first trip to the Moon. It could actually cause deeper cuts in the station itself and cause the so-called cap to be a killing blow. Is that not the real intention? The annals of great events of history are not filled by those content to live in the present without vision, but by those who sought to understand the unknown and change their future. If we cancel this program, what will we say and what will that say to our partners in the international community about U.S. leadership in the 21st century? How can we begin to place a dollar value on the improvements and quality of life for all humanity that we know from the last 20 years of experience will come from space research. Vote down this killing amendment.”