Date: 2010-03-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Just a few minutes ago. Mr. Speaker. I stood on the floor of the House to introduce H. Res. 1150. which addresses the National Aeronautic and Space Administration as a national security asset and interest. I served for 12 years on the Science Committee and as a member of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. I visited almost every NASA center around the country. I have visited our science laboratories. I am very engaged with the Science. Technology. Engineering. and Math Program. to help educate Americas children to ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of science and technology and inventiveness. and as well to be able to build jobs for the 21st century. We are in that century now. I have interacted with NASA and many of the astronauts over the years. watching them as they have launched into space. experiencing the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia. the loss of life of those brave souls who were willing to risk their lives to explore on behalf of the American people. I want to work with the administration. because I believe they are knowledgeable about the value of human spaceflight. However. the approach to commercialize this important national security interest is not appropriate for now. We live in a world that has changed. I chair the Subcommittee on Homeland Security dealing with transportation security and the protection of our infrastructure. Our infrastructure includes the buildings that we are in today. hospitals and schools. privatesector buildings. mass assets of the Federal Government. and. yes. the NASA centers and the NASA shuttle and all of the equipment that goes into providing for human spaceflight. Lending that space technology to commercial exploration and privatesector businesses on the basis of profit is not appropriate now. It will put us in a noncompetitive position with China. India. and Russia. So this resolution is simple. It declares the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a national security interest and asset. It indicates that the United States has invested in the human space program since May 5. 1961. We all can remember the words of our President. John F. Kennedy. that challenged this Nation when he asked the question. Not why. but why not? Although those words came from his brother. he captured it in the early 1960s when he asked and demanded what we could do not for ourselves. but what we could do for our country. At that time. we established the United States as a leader in the role of space exploration. and as well in the advancement of scientific research. and therefore that equals a national security interest. It does so because science provides security. and the penetration of the scientific knowledge that we have lowers the security of this Nation. My Committee on Homeland Security deals with protecting the infrastructure. Infrastructure is security. Infrastructure involves the science labs. Infrastructure involves the many space centers we have around the Nation. The States that are involved are Florida. Huntsville. Alabama. Texas. and the various sites in California as well. And so I would ask that this legislation be moved quickly in the United States Congress and in this House because the 2010 NASA budget funded a program of spacebased research that supports the administrations commitment to deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system. That research can be done better on the international space station. That international space station needs to be supported. It needs to be able to carry astronauts and scientists there to continue the research to make the quality of life for Americans and the world better. In the early stages of the international space station. research was done involving HIV/AIDS. stroke. heart disease. and cancer. That research has created opportunities for a better quality of life. and it saved lives. Let us not miss the opportunity. the treasure of being able to explore in space. the genius of America to allow us to be at the cutting edge of science. and. yes. to protect a natural security interest. which is the National Aeronautics Space Administration and all of its assets. And so I look forward to working with General Bolden. an astronaut and a very able appointee of the President of United States. to see how we can save NASA and the Constellation program that will allow us to be at the cutting edge of science. not in America. but around the world.