On the recordMay 21, 2015
Let me thank the manager of the bill, the chairman of the full committee, and the ranking member of the full committee for the hard work they do on issues that are important to our Nation and their service to this country. Let me also thank the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) for her astute leadership on many of these issues. Let me as well indicate my commitment to space exploration. As I said earlier, I hope that we can work on a number of issues, but I hope we can work together on what I think is an important economic engine for the Nation, first starting with John F. Kennedy's challenge to all of us and developing, through President Johnson, the NASA centers across America, and the enormous research that has been done by NASA over the years. I remember debating this question of funding for NASA really in the 1990s and 2000s, talking about the research of heart disease, cancers, HIV/AIDS. I say that to say that, as we move into commercial space exploration, we certainly want to make sure that opportunities are given to all of America. This is commercial, yes; but the provisions of commercial space work are enhanced by the government in the resources that we have. My amendment is to provide that recognition and to conduct outreach to the small-, minority-, and women-owned business community.…
