[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2219, OFFERED BY CONGRESSMAN POSEY (FL-15)

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                            HON. SANDY ADAMS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 6, 2011

  Mrs. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this amendment and 
commend my friend Congressman Posey for his work on this jobs 
initiative.
  Florida is home to Kennedy Space Center, the heart of NASA's space 
shuttle program. With tens of thousands of highly-skilled men and women 
currently working on the Space Coast in support of NASA's human space 
flight program, their jobs are threatened by the Administration's 
decision to end the shuttle program and cancel Constellation without a 
viable plan for the future of space exploration. These jobs will be 
lost, possibly forever, and in the midst of a housing and economic 
recession not seen in Florida in decades. Mr. Speaker, the truth is 
that the Space Coast cannot afford to lose these jobs.
  That is why I am proud to stand with Mr. Posey in support of this 
much needed amendment. Make no mistake, this is a jobs amendment--one 
that will help support families and small businesses throughout Central 
Florida. Specifically this amendment commits the Department of Defense 
to use the National Shuttle Logistics Depot to the greatest extent 
practicable and to assist in the preservation of our highly skilled 
aerospace and engineering workforce. By utilizing already existing 
infrastructure and a trained workforce, the government can leverage 
this unique skill set to advance our nation's space and defense 
missions at minimal cost to the American taxpayer.
  The aerospace workers across the country have already been hit by an 
economy struggling under the tax and spend policies of the President 
and now, without a solid plan from NASA on what is next for the space 
program, the industry base will simply disappear. This is an easy way 
for the federal government to utilize the resources we already have to 
help create aerospace jobs throughout the country, without throwing 
away decades of technology and laying off tens of thousands of highly 
skilled workers.
  Mr. Speaker, when governments like China are gearing up for the next 
big explosion in space industry and technologies, preserving this 
workforce is not just about ensuring people have jobs--it is about the 
national security interests of our nation.
  If we lose this national asset, I fear we will forever be remembered 
as the country that gave up the last frontier. One that looked to the 
stars and told the world we weren't interested.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this jobs 
amendment to help save a workforce we desperately need.

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