[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 83 (Friday, May 15, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3545-H3546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       AMERICAN SPACE LEADERSHIP

  (Mr. SOTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, it is America's 250th anniversary, and we are 
proud in central Florida to have this historic accomplishment of 
Artemis II's successful Moon mission.
  Every day, central Floridians drive out to the Cape to work on 
advancing America's space leadership.
  This is the first Moon mission in over 50 years that went the 
farthest of any humans ever. These astronauts were the first astronauts 
to witness the dark side of the Moon with their own eyes.
  We welcomed astronauts Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy to the 
Capitol this week. They had many firsts: the oldest astronaut, the 
first astronaut of color, the first female astronaut, and the first 
non-America to do a Moon mission.
  As the only Member of Congress to witness both Artemis launches 
firsthand, I couldn't be more proud of them.
  Congress needs to be committed to us going back to the Moon to land 
and to go to Mars and beyond. So we need to dig deep to advance 
American space leadership, and promote innovation for the sake of all 
humankind.

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