[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008

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                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 2008

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6063) to 
     authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration, and for other purposes:

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act (H.R. 6063).
  This bill authorizes $20.2 billion for NASA for the 2009 fiscal year 
which represents a 14 percent increase over the President's request of 
$17.6 billion. The President's vision of new manned space missions 
without requesting adequate funding for the agency has resulted in cuts 
to other NASA programs, including important earth sciences research. 
The bill we're considering today addresses the needs of NASA's entire 
mission and all four of its directorates which encompass space 
exploration, aeronautics, and other research and technology development 
programs.
  NASA's Ames Research Center is a key component of the vibrant 
research and innovation community in my Congressional District. With 
special expertise in supercomputing, networking and intelligent 
systems, Ames develops technologies critical to NASA's missions. Ames 
and the other NASA research facilities around the country rely on the 
funding within the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The House of 
Representatives has consistently exceeded the President's budget 
request and I'm pleased to see this pattern continue today. We have 
exceeded the Administration's request for all four of the divisions 
within SMD to ensure that NASA scientists at Ames and across the 
country have the resources they need.
  While this is a good bill, I hope future reauthorizations will 
revisit the restrictions imposed on NASA's ability to engage in 
Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) agreements. Just last week Ames Research 
Center announced it had signed an EUL with Google in a strategic 
partnership to develop new ideas, technologies, and applications. I 
hope we can expand this program in the future to provide further 
opportunities for NASA to develop these fruitful relationships which 
leverage private sector expertise to use our tax dollars effectively 
and efficiently.
  NASA is a critical component of our nation's research and development 
infrastructure and I thank the Committee on Science and Technology for 
their hard work on this bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to join me in supporting this legislation.

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