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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2014

Floor Speech

Date: June 9, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Science

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 4412, the NASA Authorization Act of 2014, and to applaud the commitment made by my colleagues, Ranking Member Edwards and Chairman PALAZZO, to work so hard to find common ground on these complex issues.

The process of reauthorizing NASA's important research and exploration has historically been bipartisan, with space and the wonder it instills in our constituents unifying both sides of the aisle. Now, as budgets become tighter and we are evaluating Federal investments to find places to cut back, authorizing significant resources for NASA research and the operations that research supports has become more challenging.

When the markup process of the original NASA authorization bill began about a year ago, I joined several of my colleagues on the Science Committee to raise concerns about proposed cuts to important programs like NASA's Earth science research. I am pleased to see that important programs like Earth science, space technology, education, and environmental compliance are authorized in this legislation at levels that mirror their appropriation for fiscal year 2014.

As I have learned through my work on the Environment Subcommittee, bipartisan solutions are possible as long as both sides are committed to achieving an outcome and mindful of the impact that our efforts have on our constituents. Chairman PALAZZO and Ranking Member Edwards have embraced this spirit when drafting the NASA Authorization Act of 2014, and though the bill before us today might not be perfect, it is a positive step forward and worthy of our support.

I would also like to acknowledge the role of Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Johnson for supporting the subcommittee leadership in their efforts to arrive at a bipartisan consensus. I know that Ms. Edwards and I both appreciate this approach to leadership, as do our constituents.

I encourage support for this important legislation.

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