[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5920-H5921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE PUSH FOR SPACE IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Waltz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALTZ. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago this week, a group of astronauts 
launched from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, 
embarking on a journey of discovery into unchartered territory.
  July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took one small step for man and one 
giant leap for mankind on the surface of the Moon. Armstrong and fellow 
astronaut Buzz Aldrin spent 2\1/2\ hours collecting samples and taking 
photographs. Critically and importantly, they left behind an American 
flag and some of the most famous footprints in history, sealing 
America's place as the leader of the space renaissance in the 
international space race.
  Our journey to outer space was born out of a desire to discover, but 
that wasn't the only reason we went to the Moon. We also went to the 
Moon to compete with Russia, specifically regarding protecting our 
Nation's security. That competition still exists today, but it is even 
more serious now because of our economic and our military dependency on 
space and because, in addition to Russia, we now have China explicitly 
stating its intent to surpass America as the leader in space.

  Russia and China have made it clear their intention is not just to 
explore space, but to prepare themselves for conflict. Russia and China 
both know that they will never be able to take us on tank to tank, 
carrier to carrier, plane to plane, so they have decided in their 
national security strategy to take us out in space if we ever have to 
come to blows.
  This is why I fully support the creation of the space force. This is 
why space has now been declared a warfighting domain. And if we don't 
prepare ourselves, our very way of life will be at significant risk.
  Our banking, our financial institutions, our global logistics, our 
telecommunications systems all depend on space. So the 21st century 
space race is on, and America must lead, and this is why the push for 
space resources and funding today is absolutely critical.

[[Page H5921]]

  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, 
Space, and Technology Committee, I see how national security and space 
intersect every day. And as a Floridian, space is something that is 
absolutely in my DNA.
  It is from, of course, Florida's Kennedy Space Center that our 
astronauts launched to the Moon, and I know that Florida will be a key 
player when we go back to the Moon once more in 2024 and as NASA, the 
U.S. military, and American industry work together to maintain American 
leadership in space. In my district in northeast Florida, we are very 
fortunate to have companies that once again will assemble the lunar 
landers to help NASA get back to the Moon.
  So looking back on this historic Moon landing 50 years later, I hope 
we will all remember what an incredible moment this was for our 
country. Our American values and American ingenuity have taken us to 
new worlds not just on Earth, but beyond. It is an honor to celebrate 
these accomplishments here today, and it is absolutely critical that we 
continue exploring and we continue innovating.
  But it is also equally critical that we fully understand that our 
competitors seek to supplant our leadership role in space, and they are 
not in line with our values. We cannot and will not allow that to 
happen.

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