[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I was unable to cast a vote on the 
nomination of Dr. Dava Newman to be the Deputy Administrator of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I missed the vote 
yesterday because I was meeting with turkey growers in Minnesota who 
are struggling with the avian influenza outbreak, and I attended the 
funeral services for my long-time friend, colleague and mentor, John 
Mooty. My vote would not have changed the outcome and had I been 
present I would have voted in support of Dr. Newman's nomination.
  The work being done at NASA pushes the boundaries of innovation, 
science, and exploration, and it is critical we have strong leaders 
like Dr. Newman in place to lead those initiatives. Dr. Newman is well 
known for her cutting-edge work in developing the next generation of 
space suits. As a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and 
engineering systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. 
Newman will bring a strong academic, research, and technical background 
to this position. As a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and 
Transportation Committee, I supported Dr. Newman's nomination when it 
was considered by the committee earlier this year. I am pleased that 
Dr. Newman was confirmed by the Senate to be the Deputy Administrator 
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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