Culberson, Pence, Bridenstine Celebrate Future of Human Space Exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Yesterday, I joined Vice President Mike Pence and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss the future of human space exploration and the agency’s plans to return to the Moon as a forerunner to future human missions to Mars.

As a third generation Houstonian and the Chairman of the subcommittee that funds NASA, I am proud of the legacy of Houston’s Johnson Space Center. I am laser focused on lifting the agency above and beyond the glory days of Apollo and ensuring that the United States’ space program is the best on earth. I’m honored to work with Vice President Mike Pence and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to make this vision a reality. 

The Johnson Space Center plays a critical role in ensuring America’s leadership in space. The International Space Station (ISS) program supports a third of Johnson’s workforce and these men and women are at the forefront of the next human space flight missions to the Moon and Mars. I will ensure the ISS program continues to receive strong funding and support far beyond the President’s FY 2019 Budget Request proposal.  I am committed to NASA, and I will make certain they have the funding to succeed, and that politics – from neither the left nor the right - is kept out of their work.

Since becoming the Chairman of the Subcommittee of Commerce, Justice and Science, which oversees NASA, I have increased funding to the space agency by $2.7 billion. This funding will lay the ground work for future discoveries in space.