00:00Mr. Morelli, the gentleman from New York is recognized for an amendment.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk, and I move to dispense with the reading.
00:10Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentleman is recognized for remarks on his amendment.
00:16Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:17This amendment would ensure that the Smithsonian Institution is not forced to divert valuable funding appropriated by this committee
00:25to carry out an expensive and partisan provision inserted into the reconciliation bill by the Senate.
00:31The reconciliation bill, as my colleagues may remember, included a provision to remove the space shuttle discovery
00:38from the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia to a NASA facility in Texas.
00:46The Smithsonian Institution is ardently opposed to this transfer, and for good reason.
00:49It is unprecedented for Congress to order the removal of an object from the Smithsonian collections
00:55and send it somewhere else.
00:58While the reconciliation bill gave zero new funding to the Smithsonian,
01:02it did provide $85 million to NASA for the, quote, transfer of a space vehicle, end quote.
01:08But the Smithsonian estimates the actual cost to be almost four times that number.
01:13The space shuttle discovery is the centerpiece of the James S. McDonald space hangar at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's annex,
01:23the Udvar-Hazy Center.
01:24This hangar, like the rest of the Udvar-Hazy Center, was constructed entirely with private funds, not federal dollars.
01:32And yet Congress is essentially saying to the Smithsonian,
01:36pack it up, ship it out, and while you're at it, pay for it yourself.
01:39I think this sets a very dangerous precedent.
01:42And let's not forget, discovery is part of American history,
01:46and future generations deserve to be able to see it in top condition here in the nation's capital.
01:53The center that it is currently housed at has unique facilities and expertise to maintain and preserve discovery,
02:02and its 1.2 million annual visitors who enter free of charge expect to see a space shuttle, and they should.
02:09Any funding expended by the Smithsonian should be decided by this committee and should be for the good of all American people and for our constituents.
02:21And urge the approval of the amendment.
02:24With that, I yield back, Mr. Chair.
02:27Thank the gentleman.
02:28The gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Simpsons, recognized to respond to the amendment.
02:32Mr. Chairman, I support the gentleman's amendment and urge my colleagues to support it.
02:38And I yield back.
02:40Thank the gentleman.
02:41The gentlelady from Maine is recognized to respond to the amendment.
02:45That is excellent news.
02:47Thank the gentleman for submitting this very timely amendment.
02:51And I thank the chair very much for accepting it.
02:54And yield back.
02:56There's no further debate on the amendment.
02:59The gentleman is recognized for one minute to close.
03:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
03:06And thanks also to the chairman of the subcommittee.
03:10I appreciate very much your support and the bipartisan support for this amendment.
03:15I appreciate the majority's willingness to listen.
03:17I hope we can continue working throughout the remainder of this appropriations process to preserve a treasured Smithsonian artifact and keep it where it belongs.
03:25So I urge my colleagues to support.
03:27Again, thank the gentleman for his support.
03:30I yield back.
03:31Thank the gentleman.
03:32The question is now on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York.
03:36All those in favor say aye.
03:38Aye.
03:39All those opposed say no.
03:40No.
03:42The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:45And the amendment is accepted.
03:47The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:49The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:50The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:51The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:52The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:53The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:54The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:55The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:56The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:57The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:58The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
03:59The opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
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