Hoyer Remarks at Media Availability Following Maryland Delegation Meeting on Future of NASA, Maryland’s Role in Space Innovation

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks at a media availability following a meeting with the Maryland congressional delegation and NASA officials and stakeholders on protecting and supporting Maryland-based efforts to advance American leadership in space science and innovation. Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a full video of his remarks:

"Goddard is an extraordinary asset to the state of Maryland. More importantly, it is an extraordinary asset to the United States of America, and as well to the global community, which has, over the years, relied on Goddard and NASA generally for information that it needed for all sorts of different reasons, including national security, including agricultural production, including saving ourselves from extraordinary weather events because we knew what was happening. NASA Goddard has been an agency that looks to the far past and looks to the present and the future.

"When this Administration started, it started with an assertion that it was going to cut literally trillions of dollars from the budget and hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million, federal employees. It did so not with a scalpel, not with knowledge of the consequences of their actions, but with a chainsaw and a focus only on numbers. Today, Senator Van Hollen convened a group of six people who had intimate knowledge of the importance of NASA, the work that it does, and particularly Goddard Space Flight Center, and what we heard was that people were given the opportunity to leave, not be - not work for 7 or 8 months, and be paid, and then lose the skill and judgment and experience that they had. A tragic action on behalf of this Administration. As a result, they found that they fired people or allowed people to retire who were needed, and therefore, we've seen the hiring back of some people.

"The Congress, which is now controlled by the Republicans, said that action was detrimental to America. And as a result of Senator Van Hollen, who said the Senate - under Republican control - did not accept those cuts. In the House, a 46% cut was reduced by 30% to 16%, and I believe the majority of the House believes that the Senate number is the better number. So, what I've asked the folks that testified before us is to give the American people the sense of the consequences of the Administration's actions. The detriment it has caused to America, and the detriment it caused to the international community in one sense, and great benefit in another sense, because these people who have so much talent, so much importance to science, to engineering, to future exploration and innovation will be seeking employment with those either overseas in Europe or overseas in Asia, to America's detriment.

"Chris [Van Hollen], thank you very much for having this hearing and let us hope that the American people will say to the Congress, the United States, 'Do not disinvest in science. That is the future that will be made better by science.' Thank you."