that gentleman -- that lady who raised her >> the lady who raised her hand. >> thank you, and thank you to -- panelists for typing talking about the shift in the context of the international, the global context. from the voice of vietnamese-americans. in that picture of the regional and global community. japan andetnam and south korea and north korea and the whole asia-pacific, everyone. i am very interested in seeing the u.s. and china relationship prosper and develop into advocacy. billions ofe

chinese people are looking at that too. that has to do with the rule of law. i believe -- talked about it. we want everybody to observe the rule of law. experience of the last two decades has shown that ability to observe the rule of law, in many aspects, including the wto, the manipulation of currency, the protection of its own markets, and many other problems. communismfferent than and democracy. i am asking you -- >> which must? >> all of you. how to move forward so that china can observe the rule of

law so we can develop a better trust and have a more stable and peaceful regional and global development, especially in the south east china sea -- >> ma'am, this is a lot of questions. >> just one, rule of law. will become ana democracy. that reminds me of a book, at the end of the cold war. basically what was said is liberty and democracy prevails with the collapse of the former soviet union. what we saw today was so many political chaos in young democracies like thailand, and theukraine, egypt, sovereign debt crisis in europe. that leads to a financial meltdown in north america.

worldould turn the [indiscernible] that how can you explain the magical appeal of the democracy for improving the livelihoods of ordinary folks? peter? >> i would come to the defense. i do not think he ever claimed was easy.ratization i do not think he claimed that all of a sudden the entire world would be democratic. he simply claimed that there are no ideological challengers to the liberal, capitalist system after the end of the cold war. fascism had failed, and he argued that communism had failed. frankly, i think china is a very large country. it is communist in name, as you pointed out. but i certainly teach my students that china is not communist in any other sense other than in name, that it is a

one-party dictatorship, people do not believe in communism. in that sense, until there is an alternative, perhaps a beijing model of one party dictatorship that has widespread popular appeal, until that is the case, i think fukuyama is still right. believes what china does is an effect of common-ism -- >> no, i do not believe it is communism. in name only. >> well -- >> the lady who raised the issue of rule of law, i think for government, the first thing a government should do is divide better and better living conditions for the people. especially for developing countries. situation is much more different from the united states and some european countries. the first concern of the people

is today day we can have a stable life and tomorrow we can make more money to make us to have a better life. law is anrule of instrument, a toll for that purpose. we have a myth that democracy have a lot ofe problems. i do not need to mention. and the united states. we can see they have a good economic model, but there are a lot of bad economic impulses in the world. those people while living in those so-called the mechanic countries, and we call it the rule of law, the lives of the ordinary people, of poor, and no one wants to live there, including the united states, and the chinese people. so we must take china and take

currenttory, the situation into consideration. when we try to push china to move to whatever derrickson's, directions, the only standard to say what is good for the people, the chinese people have a different view or opinion from americans. >> other questions, please. yes, this gentleman. >> thank you. i am from china. [indiscernible] thank you. gentleman from the

diversity, i want to ask you a question. i know the american [indiscernible] after communism and china's government -- yea -- i think human rights, freedom, liberty, and also democracy, all of them are the aims -- if you look at the including some of the ones published by the chinese government, those are things, but maybe first we have some different definitions about that.

twotwo countries, we are in different development status. i do not mean democracy or liberty, no matter how you define it, we all look forward itthat. and we hope someday will be fulfilled in china. mostoday, currently, the top concern or the biggest concern for us to maintain the stability of the society and the country and to achieve economic millions orto drive hundreds of millions of the people out of poverty, pure poverty, and that is what we are looking for today. think theure, i united states and the chinese people, we share the same attitude. thank you. >> right, yes, please. >> [indiscernible]

thank you. i have a question regarding efficient policy. i agree with you that policy in china is different from the policy where we can actually say it had a lot of two radically connected impact on our society and environment. i am wondering what kind of policy we can consider as good policy in the future, and how shall we validate our policy, not only for china, but also for the united states? thank you. >> thank you. for this my colleagues conference, we complained a lot when we take the bus from our hotel to brookings about the bad weather.

nghai.llution in sharin some people won't even buy something from the united states to clean the air. problems.a lot of we are facing a lot of difficulties we need to address. country, we a big are trying to catch up with those developed countries. you can now push china to come thatth all the standards the developed countries are enjoying today. facenk the government will and to deal with those, including pollution, corruption i am a little bit more confident than some of my chinese, or maybe

american friends. that is, i am more optimistic about the prospect of the government. when the government decides to do something in china, it will provide a bigger opportunity or possibility for china to fulfill some things that the government has decided to do than some other countries. addust a few more points to what xin said about sustainable policy. first of all we need to restructure the economy by turning to a ms amount. secondly, more government powers andld be delegated to ngo's let the market play a defensive role in determining the interactions between consumers and perhaps the demand side. also, the social security program would help close the

between rich and poor, between the prosperous coastal areas and the developed hinterland of china. you named a lot of policy options on the table for the new generation of leadership. sustainability. that is something i would like to add to. other issues, like transparency of a budget, defense budget, that is something i am looking forward to to raise so we can have -- >> this gentleman, right in the middle. >> thank you. twove a question for the american young scholars. china was once thought of as a sleeping lion. now xi says china is peaceful,

waking up lion. what kind of image of china to you [indiscernible] or kind of dragon that you face the tail are just a panda or something like that? thank you. [laughter] tell us whats to kind of rising country it is going to be. the u.s. is very accustomed to having everyone else in the world be nervous every time we take an action and to having be very transparent and to have to explain our intentions. so that we can take actions without creating a negative repercussions we may not want. as china is rising up and becoming no longer a sleeping line, but and awake one or is going to have to learn with great power comes great responsibility.

when the line is that deal and he is away, he is going to be nervous unless you are sure it is friendly, and it will take a lot of work on the china side to convey to other countries what its intentions are, to convey to, for example, the entries issues in the south china sea, because when you have a powerful military and you are not clear about what documentsur order indicate, other countries are going to be very nervous and they might react in ways that are not beneficial for anyone. we are all waiting for china to make it very clear by its actions what kind of country china is going to be as it becomes a major power. i hope it will be a responsible one. the u.s. has tried to do a good job at being a responsible power that conveys its intentions clearly. it is easier for us since we are democracy. is going to be harder for china because of the nature of the chinese political system. i would hope the leaders could

be innovative in solving that challenge. >> i think i would like to return to where -- was started off with the question of the political and economic vomit in inna -- economic development china, because i think this is related to the question of perception. i think you are right that americans assume liberties that if you have economic reform you must have democratic reform. this is an example why americans were so shocked by the events of 1889 and you have had this move 1989 anda to dragon -- you have had this move from panda to dragon. the have this tendency to swing wildly back and forth because china does not fit our mental model. economic reform, but

not political reform. the united states needs to do a better job of seeing china for what it is, which is neither hand that nor dragging, but another animal out there like we are. side, and this applies to america as well, related to a comment eight this morning, the united states and two biggesthae powers today, our citizens take on a certain kind of narcissism. i guess i would also encourage us not to constantly be asking what do they think of us? questions like this can be dangerous. chinese should not care too much whether america thinks china is a panda or a dragon. china should be confident that they are china, and i think that would help a lot of things, just like americans should not be overly concerned about what think.eople

>> my question goes to some of you. has beenthe u.s. enslaved by the legacy of the cold war. if you look at the impact of the withmilitary alliances japan, south korea, philippines, australia, you are held hostage by third party, the relationship between the prt and the u.s. rightms the rise of the wing in japanese politics has scared policymakers on both sides across the aisle, u.s. and china, because they wanted develop their deterrence by using plutonium and by lifting the cork in the bottle. then what would the picture be like? this sortncerned with

of security scenario? who will be the first to take my question? mean, i am very concerned about the violence issue. i think the most likely scenario leading to a future u.s.-china conflict is not a direct conflict of material interests, actually. issues, are trade security issues, the united states and china are likely to find positive outcomes. the real danger is getting sucked into a conflict between china and japan or china and taiwan. as americans we should care very much about the taiwan issue. >> what about the issue of [indiscernible] that has to do with your close ally north korea and south korea. the president was very happy about the japanese reluctance

[indiscernible] atrocities.he what do you think of this issue, as a scholar of international studies? >> if you compare the recovery in europe in the aftermath of world war ii versus the asia, weg in lingering can see when we are open and honest about what happened in history and make the apologies that need to be made to victimized parties, both sides can move forward. but when we try to hide or suppress information about what many people know to be true, that happened during world war ii, those resentments linger and again.urface again and based on comparison of the strides of the european union, versus the lingering tensions in these issues over asia, and my personal opinion, the only way

forward is for there to be a much more straightforward werewledgment that there comfort women in world war ii and it is something that should be apologized for and that they should be honored as victims of world war ii, just as soldiers were, fighting on a battlefield. that openness is going to be very crucial for building towards a new, more balanced security arrangement in asia for the future. >> for the new cycle of tensions in the south china sea, i think china has a different perception for that. because we know that the chinese have always been blamed by the united states and its allies over the islands, for example, without the realization of the [indiscernible] havee islands, we will not the attention. for decades, china has proposed that this shall be defused and way for the next iteration in the next and the next took

knowledge. what is japan doing, and after the nationalization of the thatlled islands, and what premier has said, pay homage to therine publicly to hail emperor, and some politicians [indiscernible] and refuse to view reagan revise the -- and to revise -- that makes china very angry and suspicious about the tensions of japan. for the south china sea, just to intion -- has been adopted 1947. it is about 35 years before the passage of the -- and also for the europeans who have recently

raised a lawsuit against china about that -- line and looked back into history. in 1898, the united states and spain signed a treaty, and two years later, 1900, the u.s. and spain signed the washington treaty. 51, the u.s. and philippine signed a military allies treaty. 1953, thelater in passage of the philippine constitution, all of those scum most important documents, legal the islands had never been included as a territorial -- but after the passage of the -- and the different sides realize there are some forces of --

resources of gas, that will be increased. even though china is a much bigger power, we have not taken advantage of our economic and to push toocle much. but the new tension of concerning the shelf is because, as president xi this morning mentioned, is because there are dozens of fisher boats from china fishing near the shoal, but a flagship of his navy to try to catch our fishermen. in history, hundreds of the chinese fishermen have been killed, injured, tortured, or even put into prison by 15 governments in the past few kate. that is a fact. we can discuss it. you, thest provide

chinese perception. i'm sure americans and philippines also have different perceptions. that is why we will stick together to discuss, and we can find out the truth. way think maybe the faster and not just to blame china, but the faster way is to sit down and according to the proposal of .hina, to settle the disputes without putting the wood into the fire and make that tension to disturb the whole region. >> thank you very next question. >> thank you very much. i would like to ask a question about the mystic politics,

because i think it will be widely acknowledged that the chinese government has achieved a lot in terms of lifting millions of people out of and as the professor just said, the chinese enjoysment probably an performance legitimacy so far. going forward, how much capability do you think the chinese government will be able to maintain this kind of the didymus he in light -- of legitimacy in light of pollution, corruption, and just the sheer fact that the growth is increasingly complex to govern. how much do you think that is possible? >> on the domestic politics, it is not exactly politics. there are issues about the economics. author like to have an

from my chinese colleagues about the economic policies, whether they can be sustained. the legitimacy. that is a very popular word concerning the future of china. >> yeah. [speaking in chinese] >> the problem would be economic restructuring. that is the biggest problem for the chinese government. and the u.s. economy, consuming too little. this should be relicensed -- this should be fixed, right? [speaking in chinese]

export landng on growth. thes time to reconsider sustainability by turning to conservators -- consumers. politics, what do you think of the long-term impact on the future of china? >> i am not sure. i think most of the chinese people agree with that and that is one of the biggest things for present china. toall support such efforts crush the corruption. not -- in a good position to speak about the economic development. because my expertise is foreign affairs. i want to remind that maybe in

the past 30 years, i doubt whether there are many people to say thatgine china can achieve such an economic boom, but the fact is we did it. am optimistic it about the future development of china. and because we now, we have a lot of challenges, including the theal system, and with development of an urban process, and that means it is true, a lot of problems. two of them will be resolved, then it will open a new gate for future development of china. difficulties also means opportunities. >> thank you very much.

time is running out. there are many important issues in this most important bilateral relationship, such as the arm sales to taiwan, human rights, proliferation of weapons of mass the unification of the korean peninsula, you name it. it would take hours to address those major concerns. g-2 might appeal -- might appear interesting. to wrap up this very interesting brainstorming discussion about 35 years of relationship, let me quote one punch line. no one stands taller than those who stand corrected. all our mistakes and

vulnerabilities. if we have an attitude in shaping this important relationship, it will not have served the fundamental national interests of the two countries, but to help maintain the peace and stability for the rest of the world. meaningful think him and this is one of the major reasons why we are brought here issues of concern. thank you very much for your attention and time. tank you. thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> a discussion this afternoon between u.s. china relations. the u.s. and china first established the romantic ties in 1979. one more discussion coming up which will look at those 35 years of diplomatic ties. if you missed any of the earlier panel discussion, you will find it online at www.c-span.org.

it looks like it might be a few minutes until the next panel gets underway. while we wait we will show you the opening panel from this afternoon, looking at sports and culture of diplomacy between the u.s. and china. playerng the former nba yao ming. >> i want to start with the idea professional basketball and when you first started playing it, a relatively new government in china. china had had basketball for many years. your father played eskimo. he started playing professional passed ball there, and made the transition to playing professional basketball here. tell me about that. what was that transition like?

>> the transition was great. the professional basketball 1997,g in china started ive years for the sharks, and was drafted by the nba in 2002, heading for the acts -- houston rockets. countries,nt different cultures, different people. we all are linked by this very simple interest, which is basketball game. we are very interested, and we love this game so much, and people --so many participate. i always have problems with that. i have been living in texas too long.

this came links so much people. we know each other or we do not, always either play the game or watch the games through television, or now with the new media, internet, everything. this game just brings everybody together. i want to ask about the game. how different was the game when it made the transition? was it played differently in china. simple things about teams and individual sports, but i was struck by the complexity of nba game making. did you experience a transition and thinking on the court? than cuch more physical ba. there. war class

i do not want to say that. i have to adjust into a new league of the entire nba , have to deal with, play with, and also live -- by evana presentation medeiros. he is a distinguished scholar in his own right and a good friend. this last panel concludes our conference highlighting the accomplishments and the inspectives of young experts china-use.s. relations. there is no better representative of scholars in

china than evan. we are appreciative of evan's efforts to attend the meeting after his time in the hague, where he was coordinating the current geopolitical situation in europe. luckily, today's conversation is more about strengthening bilateral relationship rather than to repair them. i have known evan for over a decade, just as i became a fan ing, when he was only 13 years old in the shanghai-esque boxing, i became a fan of evan when he worked as an onernational scholar the council on foreign relations. china's new about diplomacy.

at the age of 19 or 18, is that right? [laughter] he currently serves as a senior director of asian affairs in the national security council. colleagues here at brookings also served at the position. he worked at the brookings for a year. i know that the u.s.-china relationship is in good hands with evan. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the still very young, but the senior director of asian affairs in the deiros.ouse, dr. evan me [applause] >> thank you for that very kind introduction.

i appreciate the opportunity to address the conference here today and thank you for your friendship over the last decade. it has been fantastic. the room today is filled with lots of friends and it is a wonderful opportunity to be able today toour conference celebrate the 35th anniversary of the u.s.-china relationship. this is an auspicious occasion. 2014 is an important year. it is a year that the obama offeringation sees as a unique opportunity to develop a relationship with china defined by more and better amounts of cooperation and coordination on the major global challenges before us today. let me begin by underscoring the the brookings institution convening this country was -- this conference

today. i can take no better topic than sports diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and the contribution of young scholars to advancement of the u.s.-china relationship. ed is a fantastic initiative. it is the work of young scholars in institutions in the united states and china that is the essential to ensuring that the u.s.-china relationship continues to be propelled by lots of fresh thinking, and i know that because i experienced it myself as a young scholar at the rant corporation. i spent a lot of time studying and doing research about the underlying dynamics in chinese u.s.-chinaicy, in relations, and in east asia more broadly. seven or eight years of research, books, articles, conferences that inform much of my thinking about current u.s.

policy toward china. the brookings institution for not only celebrating this important year, but also doing so by highlighting the work of young scholars, because i think when yearslect on the past 35 and when we look forward to the , i think it is important that we have new faces, new thinking, fresh ideas, energy, and momentum because that is going to be critical, given the new and different challenges facing us. what i thought i would do today is reflect. past 35on how i see the years in the u.s.-china relationship in very general ways, and then talk about what i think are the important challenges going forward. first and foremost, it is

important that at an occasion like this to make sure we do not forget just how far we have come in the u.s.-china relationship in the past 35 years. it is easy to forget that. when president nixon made his historic visit in 1972, the scars from the korean war were still fresh. the vietnam war was raging. we were in the middle of the cultural revolution. and i was one year old. most -- or one of the most important features of the u.s.-china relationship in 1972, in that fateful year, was the fact that nothing about the future of u.s.-china relationship was preordained. the thing was inevitable. there was no certainty of the pathway of our two countries, how long would it take for our relationship to be normalized, how long would it take to be -- to fully institutionalize our

relationship. at what point would we begin to make sure we would be working on ? atr regional challenges what time with the countries become the largest economies in the world and beat you central to ensuring a global financial crisis does not become a global depression? none of that was certain at that time, but when we look at the u.s.-china relationship today have a bilateral trade relationship that is $500 billion, 1.5 million tourists visit the united states every year, we had 200 thousand chinese students studying in the united states, more than any country, and we have this great aspiration on the american side known as the 100,000 strong in which we seek to get a hundred thousand american students to study in china. only keep in mind that not when we travel along the pathway and we have done a lot together, we have weathered some difficult times in the relationship. , 1999, 2001, 2012,

there were some very difficult times, problems we have to work through. what is important, the lesson i take a wacom is we worked through our problems. found mechanisms that allowed us to address the difficulties on both sides and keep the relationship moving forward. , as hardse faculties as they were during those particular times, that have made us stronger, has made the andtionship more mature, they afforded us opportunities to grow. the question is, have we fully ,ppreciated those opportunities have we fully studied the experiences of those difficulties, and are we drawing the right lessons for the

future. one of the most important lessons i draw from both the growth we see in the relationship and the difficulties we have navigated, is to put it profoundly in both interests that we develop a more cooperative relationship. united states supports a more prosperous china, and we mean it in every way, and it is a fundamental commitment on each side to this relationship that is provided -- that has provided a direction, momentum, that has allowed us to stand here today and harold lee a couple shirts of 35 years. hase has to be more, there to be more to the u.s.-china an it is too bigt i to fail.

what is it in the next 35 years or the next seven years that will be essential in order for us to keep the relationship on track, moving forward and contributing to solve the problems that challenge the modern international order. the relationship is not on autopilot. that means it requires strong leadership, determination, and careful management by officials in order to ensure that we continue to grow the relationship. it tends on deliberate choices of leaders in both countries that are focused on expanding our areas of cooperation, determining where our interests overlap, whether there is domestic or political space to pursue that, whether there are capabilities on both sides and the political will to work on problems.

at the same time, manage our differences. that is what we mean when we talk about building a new model of relations between the united states on china. on the one hand it is expanding operation and coordination. the other hand, managing our differences. in other words, the new model is about avoiding the old model. it is about avoiding that model where rising power and established power inevitably come into conflict, but the question remains, how exactly do you do that? our view is that fundamentally it begins with this -- the expanding cooperation, managing disagreements type of framework, and it is a difficult thing to do. through cars vision and determination. some in china say that in order to build this new model, the united states must accept and economy china's core interests. that is their definition. we have a different view. we hear is too much focus in the u.s.-china relations on their

core interests. we spend far too much time talking about this issue. we need to focus less on core interests and focus on common interests and ways in which we are acting together to solve this critical regional and global challenges that are consistent with all of our interests. those challenges are very well --wn to this audience climate change, nonproliferation, global growth, energy security. solutions to all these problems will require effort from united states and china. neither can do it alone, both of us are essential to any kind of and during solution. history is going to judge us on our ability to focus on our common interests to put aside and carefully manage our disagreements in order to make progress in these areas. the way we see it is that it is essential to build patterns of

interaction that facilitate habits of cooperation in order in practicalher and tangible, visible ways to solve these regional and global challenges. to you that in the obama administration. i know, i have been there since 2009. we began by rewiring the operation of u.s.-china relationship. in the early days i worked closely with jeff bader, and we looked at the relationship and decided that we needed to make sure that the right people were talking about the right issues in the right ways at the right levels. and to do that required us to reconceptualize how paralegals and senior officials how our and senior officials were talking. he made sure first and foremost that our top leaders were talking much more frequently.

as we know the relationship operates best when there is leader-liter communication and direct clear ways. one of the most important lessons that i draw from the past 35 years of u.s.-china relationship is that we work best together when our communication is clear and it is consistent and it is cooperative. that is what building these patterns of interaction are all about. we created the strategic and economic dialogue. the president this it made the best secretaries of state and treasury as his key envoys. we created a dialogue in which we have american diplomats and military officers talking with their counterparts in china from both the foreign ministry and the pla. they are talking about the security issues that are controversial on both sides, but yet it is important that we have these conversations so we can

understand better what our differences are and then we can look for other ways to manage them and to find cooperative solutions. comes to ways in which the united states can work to gather which i know on these defining challenges of our time, i think the united states and china need to elevate our ambitions. we simply need to be more ambitious in the next 35 years. there is some useful example of our corporation in the past few years. korea, therth nuclear challenges presented by those countries, are areas where the u.s. and china had worked together and we need to continue to work together on them. in other areas, such as rc inistan, south sudan, the horn of africa, there has been important cooperation as well. do there is more that we can

and there is more that we should do together. we question is, how do ensure we are having the right conversations to identify where those opportunities are? we think there are a variety of different opportunities, in the clean energy space them in improving air quality, and cooperating on climate change, in the area of the element assistance, public health, disease eradication, in responding to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and of course, on nonproliferation. these are all areas we believe our interests overlap, where there is political space in both countries, a little willingness to cooperate, where there are capabilities to contribute to solutions, and that the incentives for complications are minimal and can be managed. we need to do better. let's be more ambitious and let's expand and build out the

cooperative aspects of the u.s.-china relationship. but there is another part of the equation. and that is our management of differences. we need to be attention to this because it is inevitable there will be differences in a relationship as large and complex as ours. there are differences in perception, interests, and both of these types of differences are probably and constrain our ability to work with one another. the policy challenge for us is how do we minimize these in a way that does not constrain our ability to cooperate, but doing so is a difficult task. i know, because it is something i live on a day-to-day basis. in some areas, such as the military-to-military relationship in the past year, we have seen some strides. the quality of the dialogue has improved and the frequency after our interactions are growing. the two president had a very

substantive discussion about ways in which we can expand military-to-military cooperation, and we are studying a variety of confidence-building measures in those areas. there are perennial difficulties in early shift that we need to pay close attention to as well. take the issue of taiwan. our positions on this issue are well known. henry kissinger addressed this issue in the earliest stages of his interaction with china. president xi and president obama discussed the taiwan issue just this week when they met together in the hague. was what you would expect. china stated its position. the united states stated its position. unfortunately, after the meeting between the two presidents, the chinese foreign ministry released a statement that willfully mischaracterized u.s. as if our taiwan,

position on taiwan had somehow changed. it has not. these kinds of actions are unwelcome and it fosters mistrust between the united states and china. we believe it is also unhelpful for china's and goals. china should focus on winning the hearts and minds of the people of taiwan as opposed to making them insecure about u.s. we haven as if somehow changed our position on taiwan and are saying things differently in meetings with resident -- with the president which wee do publicly, do not. it is important to pay attention to the fact that not only is of4 the 35th anniversary u.s.-china relationship, it is the the 35th anniversary of taiwan relations act, which is we remainnd in which firmly committed come along with the six assurances. the taiwan relations act is an

important and enduring expression to the people of taiwan about our commitment to their well-being, their security, economic autonomy, and their international space. the united states has an abiding interest in the peaceful resolution of the taiwan question. and we commend the leadership in beijing and in taipei for the substantial steps they have taken to improve china-taiwan relations in recent years. historic,ss has been and we hope that it continues in ways acceptable to both sides. another issue of abiding u.s. upholding basic international norms, such as production of sovereignty and territorial integrity. this concept is at the heart of the modern state-centered international system. as we know it has its origin in

the treaty of westphalia from 1648. china plus edition in electing -- china's position is well known in the audience today. it is something we are clear about them and is something china is clear about, publicly and privately. the situation in ukraine has raised questions. russia's actions are chipping away at the inviolability of this fundament openable and has created instability in european security. -- weieve in your ocean believe that the roche of these principles is the stabilizing in east asia as well. yet despite this obvious challenge by russia to these basic sacred principles at the heart of the modern international order, china's position has been unclear. china has not criticized russia for the most serious violation of territorial integrity and

sovereignty in decades. china abstain in the u.n. g.a. both yesterday and u.n. security council vote a few weeks ago regarding the referendum in crimea. reducing uncertainty about how china defines its interests and how it pursues them. we are well aware of the chinese position on the issue of referendums. are we to conclude that china's position is conditional, that there are caveats depending on china's other strategic imperatives? these are the questions we need to be talking more about in the u.s.-china relationship. the united states has questions raised by china's position on ukraine, and i think other countries and in other parts of the world have questions as well, given china's stated commitment to territorial integrity and sovereignty, but yet it's de facto support for

russia's position on ukraine. as i mentioned, these are questions we want to talk about more about in the u.s.-china relationship. at the heart of this task of managing our disagreements, managing our differences, is making sure that we can have substantive conversations about these questions and other questions in the u.s.-china relationship. because it is only through a more consistent dialogue between even theeaders on most commercial questions, that are difficult to talk about, but require answers, it is only through that that we will be able to manage our differences and disagreements in a way that create the political space for us to continue to cooperate and manage mistrust in a relationship. so let me conclude where i began. i think we are all students of u.s.-china relations. we need to redouble our efforts to understand the lessons that

we can draw from the successes of the last 35 years in order to ensure that we are developing the patterns of interaction, the habits of the habits of cooperation that allow this relationship not to be defined by strategic rivalry there is enormous potential for the u.s. china relationship. i'm committed to realizing as much of that potential as i can. i think it is important for all of us to remember that the future of this relationship is not preordained. it is the work of all of you in this room that will help us realize the full potential for this relationship.

but the as ambitious as we can as we look out the next 35 years. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] thank you so much for giving a comprehensive and constructive remarks. has a that the audience lot of questions. i have some questions. we are not going to take any questions. i think the speech will be read in so many corners of the world. it will be translated in so many different languages. you use the word ambitious. we will have the policy makers in the white house look at the more ambitious future. this is encouraging.

i would like to ask the audience in finding the time in his disease scheduled to speak at brookings. i hope to see you many times in the future. thank you. [applause] have a safe trip back to china for our colleague.

>> a reminder, you can see all of this on our website at c-span.org. earlier this week the supreme court heard two cases in regards to religious liberty. a look here at some of the supporters and protesters outside of the court on tuesday of this week. including hobby lobby. at issue is a supreme court oral argument about whether for-profit organizations can refuse to provide coverage for their workers based on the religious beliefs of the corporation's founders. we will bring you the oral argument in that case coming up tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. coming up tomorrow on the "washington journal", we'll start off at 7:00 eastern.

we will hear from the heritage foundation who reviews u.s. missile defense policy and how it applies to russia, ukraine, and the annexation of crimea. there is also going to be a atcussion on data privacy the university of maryland. and a discussion about ongoing veterans benefits claims, the backlog, and the impact of benefit reductions. as always, we will take your phone calls beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern. you can join us on facebook and twitter, as well. that is live on c-span. >> when you look at the threats when you look at improvised nuclear devices, we know that no one jurisdiction can respond to that. we have to bring resources from across the nation. in looking at various threats among several of which are

terrace-based, several which are natural hazards, we started adding up the casualties, fatalities, injuries, search and rescue, immediate recovery needs. in looking at that, we identified critical capabilities and gaps in that. part of this was to adjust the funding, not only hoping that by jurisdiction it adds up to national capability, but actually driving some of the bigger risk of threats. how do you build that capability and direct that funding? part of this grant funding a stone the division between the states. there has to be competitive so that we can see some areas of this country where maybe sponsorship by one state or community can provide resources to another area, versus each jurisdiction trying to build the capability. i know there's a lot of concern about this region of funds. i know there's a lot of concern about the jurisdictions getting what they need. i also hear this a lot, there's

not a lot of just out there. in these types of large-scale events, if we cannot agree upon our responsible bees working together as a team, how does that work in a real disaster? -- exceeds the capabilities. that is, multiple states and multiple jurisdictions responding to these types of events. >> this weekend on season, the fema administrator talks about the 2015 budget request saturday morning at 10:00 eastern. on book tv, the tucson festival of books. alan wiseman on saving the planet. followed by a panel on the u.s.-mexico border and the future of politics. that is starting it noon on c-span2. tv, theamerican history origins of the cell phone. they will have the team who invented the first cell phone in 1983. that will be on c-span3. administrator,sa

seated in front of the table testifies on the president's 2015 budget request for the billion with the .oal of sending an astronaut up this hearing is two hours. >> the subcommittee will come to order. welcome to the hearing entitled forview of the budget fiscal year 2013. in front of you are packets including the testimony for today's witness. i recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. i will begin my statement this morning when a sincere thank you for your leadership and the hard

work of our men and women at nasa. well i do not always agree with the administration's decisions, i appreciate the good people of nasa and their service to our country. billion.t is $7.4 that was assigned by the president only two months ago. i am most concerned by the administration's insistence on free ordering the funding priorities of the agency. there should be clear priorities to the administration. again that the president has chosen to rely and the priorities he agreed to in 2010. is a fundingre request. position wee same were a few years ago.

i hope to hear from the administrator today that these plans are under development. the administration has requested these additional funds. row thefourth year in a administration requested a reduction to the system. this year's budget request cut these programs by 330 million. the bill keeps nasa on track. at $1.6 billion would only keep them on track than the cut would derail those efforts. this is unacceptable. these assets are the essential components of our future efforts.

the administration cannot claim to support space expiration and divert budgets to undermine the mission. the agency must be mission focused. that is why i will work for funding levels to the systems. just as in years past there was a request for large increases without any data to back up the request. one of my top priorities as chairman is ensuring that we restore the ability that will launch astronauts. i'll commercial partners are the cube to make in a possible. times we must make sure we're doing the best we can with what we have geared it should be accompanied by a strategic action plan. additionally, this year's budget

request also includes the cancellation of the sophia program. american tax payers invested on this one-of-a-kind asset the administration is posing cancellation as a gets off the ground. he you might be more helpful in answering questions we have about the proposed cancellation of sophia. i would hate to see it canceled in the same manner as we did with the xl mars project. there is no doubt that our nation space program is facing many challenges. that is on the more reason the ministration must be committed to exploration and stop using it as partisan football. the american public is counting on the president very dear counting on each of us here to have an honest conversation about where we are at this time in our nation space program. and to make tough choices. it means setting politics aside and investing in our future. i'm ready to work together to ensure priorities from previous legislation will be honored.

the space program depends on it. i recognize the ranking member. >> thank you. thank you for being here today. i appreciate reviewing the budget for 2015. i want to welcome administrator bolden. want to congratulate nasa and its contractor workforce on the milestones they have achieved over the past year.

i am and always have been a passionate person about nasa and our space program. and the people who work in it. our program has been a symbol of our greatness as a nation. a means for peaceful negotiation. in a powerful source of inspiration for student and professional engagement in science and technology. nasa will continue to be these things and more. only if we provide it with stability and resources needed to meet its responsibilities and aeronautics, space science, earth science, human spaceflight, and exploration. that is why i'm pleased which incorporates the funding request is part of the opportunity growth and security initiative is close to the level specified for fiscal year 2015 in the nasa authorization act. the bill that introduced last last july. he'll outgrow the nation's economy and create jobs. i recognize there will be much discussion about this initiative. we need to understand the impact

of nasa's programs. i have questions about the reduced funding requested for the space launch system. and the potential impact it will have on the program ability to achieve critical test flights in 2017 and 2021. i want to understand the implications of the shutdown of the stratospheric observer he -- sophia. a project that was undertaken with germany. i would hear for options which should be explored and that were explored that may continue this study.

i look forward to hearing from administrator bolden about increases for the crew program. we need to know what we will be getting for that money. how nasa will ensure that astronaut safety and the interest of the taxpayer will be protected. i hope to learn today that research will be sufficient to ensure that a high punt is in place to support the proposed extension of iss operation through 2024. i have questions about the changes to nasa's education programs. we have raise those questions before. those programs play a critical role in inspiring our nation's youth. i also want to take this opportunity to clarify for the record that while i paid a compliment for the lucid explanation of the redirect

mission to group of students recently, that is how i spend time on television, i continue to have questions about the potential mission, and how would contribute to two other potential goals to send humans to mars. i'm hopeful today's discussion will help inform our continuing work on reauthorizing nasa. i want to commend you and your staff for working with our team. i think we can get from here together on the same page and support our space mission. we both share the goal of achieving a strong bipartisan authorization bill. providing stability and resources needed.

i thank you. >> i now recognize the chairman of the committee. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith. >> we appreciate administrator golden appearing before us today. while we may disagree on a few topics, we share the same desire to ensure nasa remains the world's preeminent space agency tarnation continues to lead the world in space exploration and discovery. that is why i'm concerned with the fiscal year 2015 budget request. three months ago, congress and the president reached agreement on nasa's budget. just a few weeks later, the president recommends $185 million cut to nasa. it also seeks to find an asteroid redirect or retrieval mission despite what one article this week described as scant support in congress and muted interest in the science

community. the administration continues to push the mission on nasa without any connection to a larger roadmap and absent support from the scientific community. it is a mission without a realistic budget. the committee has heard a number of concerns about the mission and promising alternatives. the committee recently heard a hearing of the potential for a flyby mission to venus and mars. while the mission is not without challenges, it is intriguing and would catch the public imagination. the budget under finds the space launch system and orion programs. the white house approach has

been to raise nasa's budget to fund the administration agenda. there are 13 other agencies involved in climate change research, yet only one conduct space exploration. in the last seven years, the earth science division funding has increased. nasa needs to number its priorities. the priority is space exploration. i'm glad to see nasa is working to complete the james webb space telescope and initiate production of the widefield infrared space telescope as well. nasa has included a budget line for europa mission. even if it is just for one year and too little. over the last two years congress has funded a mission and 75 million dollars and $80 million. our leadership in space is swift. the administration i hope will step back, look at the agency as a whole, and work to put on a long-term path to achieve worthy goals on behalf of our nation. space exploration inspires american students and excites scientists. if we want to continue to be a world leader and take giant

leaps, nasa must ensure its budget reflects the importance of space exploration. thank you. i yield back. >> thank you mr. chairman. i recognize the ranking member from texas. >> thank you. good morning. welcome. >> i know all of us appreciate the service you render tarnation. as the chairman is indicated, we are here today to review nasa's 2015 budget request. at the outset, i want to say that i am heartened that the president has been willing to commit more than $18.3 billion to nasa. a four percent increase over the fiscal year 2014 appropriations. achieving that level will require congress to work with the president to achieve targeted spending cuts and increase revenue to provide necessary offsets, and stay within the budget agreement.

i hope that my friends across the aisle will agree with me that nasa and its program are worth a little effort on congress's part 20 defy the fines. first, i'm troubled by nasa's education activities. these cuts do not appear to be just the result of interagency collaboration. they are cuts. simple.

which i consider to be the wrong mission to be sending. second, i have to confess that i am leery of the annual cycle of reductions in the funding for the space launch system. the orion exploration. both those vehicles are under development and approaching initial testing milestones. this is the point in a healthy development program that funding should be increased and not decreasing. i expect this is an era that congress would want to address. i am puzzled by the proposed science programs. those programs not only provide exceptional science, but outreach opportunities. we are going to need to look closely at what is being proposed in this budget.

finally, i want to know more about the proposed increases in the crew program. those increases are significant. especially in the context of nasa's budget environment. while i want to reduce our dependence on russia, the crew transportation from the international space station has not prepared to provide a blank check to do so. as you know, representative edwards and i expressed concern over privatizing prices of

safety in its evaluation of proposals leading to upcoming contract awards. unfortunately, nasa chose not to make any changes in its final solicitation. the agency is counter with recommendations of the columbia accident investigation board. despite administrative personal commitments to safety, i think that is the worst example to take. data that has traditionally been required to protect the agency and the taxpayer, the nada ruled that they send their final updates later this spring. i urge you to do so. i would find it difficult to

support the funding you are requesting for commercial crew in the absence of such safeguards. we have a lot to talk about today. i want to welcome you to today's hearing. i yield back. >> i would like to introduce our witness. he is an administrator of the aeronautics space administration. he spent 13 years at a nasa office. he traveled into orbit. this was between 1986 and 1994. prior to his nomination, he was nominated that she was the chief executive officer of a small business enterprise. it was a consulting firm. spoken testimony is limited to five minutes. members of the committee have five minutes each to ask questions. >> thank you. members of the subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss nasa's 2015 budget

request. a more detailed summary has been made available. my verbal testimony will touch on the highlights for there is a bipartisan strategic explanation plan agreed to by congress in 2010. it ensures that the united states will remain the leader in space exploration for years to come. it is an investment on earth for

the benefit of the american people and the global economy. i have a chart i would like to put up. i will refer to this chart off and on as we go. nasa is on a steady path. there is a stepping stone approach to meet the president's challenges. as you see on a chart, it goes from left to right. from where we are to where we want to be. the international space station remains our spring or. -- springboard.

we will have outpost for the next decade with our commitment to extend until 2024. this means an expanded market for private space companies, more groundbreaking research, and opportunities to live, work, and learn in space. astronauts aboard the iss are helping us learn how to execute extended missions into space. this year, we will see exploration of orion.we will prw developments with orion. we will prepare for and unaccrued mission in fiscal year 2018. the budget supports the commitment that nasa be a catalyst for the growth of a vibrant american space industry. two companies, space acts and orbital -- space x and orbital are making deliveries. they will send astronauts to the station. it will end our reliance on russia. if congress fully funds fiscal year 2015, we can do this by the end of 2017. unfortunately, due to reduced launch plan, we may need to extend our current contract with the russians. instead of investing money into the u.s. economy to support

american jobs, we could be spending that money in russia. budgets are about choices. the choice is between fully funding a request to bring space launches back to american soil or continuing to send millions to the russians. it is simple. the obama administration chooses to invest in america. we are hopeful that congress will do the same. in addition to continuing research and strengthening partnerships and building the next generation of rocket and capsules to take our astronauts farther into space, are stepping stone approach includes a plan to robotically capture a small asteroid and redirect it safely to a stable orbit were astronauts can visit and explore it. our mission will help us develop technologies including solar electric propulsion needed for future each space missions. we enhance detection. we improve understanding of asteroid threats.

fiscal year 2015 continues to have sport for science missions. it enables nasa to continue making critical observations of earth and developing applications that benefit our nation and the world. it maintains steady progress on the james webb space telescope during its 2018 launch. aeronautics will focus on reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and noise. we will make nexgen a reality. we will drive technology and innovation and spur economic activity. that is why the opportunity growth initiative will provide nasa with nearly $900 million. there will be additional funding to focus on specific areas where we can advance our priorities. the budget advances nasa's for teaching plan for the future. we will continue to build u.s.

preeminence in science and technology. we will protect our home planet well strengthening the american economy. thank you. i'm happy to respond to any questions you are members of the subcommittee may have. >> thank you general bolden. >> thank you general bolden. please limit questioning to five minutes. we will open with a round of questions.

the chair recognizes himself. last year, i asked you about the administration reduction to programs in the 2014 budget request. at the time, you said that the discrepancy was about how the money had been classified. this year the administration has very clearly broken out and shown that a reduction in vehicle development exists. you praise the appropriations for keeping nasa on track. it will simply keep it on track, how will a cut affected. what activities do you plan to stop in his full-year 2015 question mark -- in fiscal year 2015? >> the budget as requested suffices for keeping us on track. there are three relevant areas. we are reliant right now and we want to get away from that. we need a proving ground. there's so much we do not know. you have to have a place close to earth. that happens to be the earth, moon system. we selected this as our particular steppingstone to go to mars. we have the international space station. it is viable and functioning. first things first. we have to make sure that we have a reliable system. if i do not get commercial crew, that is better. that area becomes weakened.

i do not want to be reliant on the russians to get my cruise to the internationals a stations. i do not need a space launch system if i cannot get my cruise into orbit. if we continue to depend on the russians, everything is in jeopardy. this is a critical need for this nation. >> i may have a question on commercial crew as well. you are saying that you are reducing the budget to fund commercial cruise. -- crews? $299 cuts. >> in the time that i have been the nasa administrator, we have invested $12.5 billion into space exploration. wellpoint $5 billion. if we had had the shuttle, we would have spent more.

we have invested more than we would have spent on the shuttle if it were still around. the president has requested more since i became the administrator. almost 52% of that has been requested for human expiration. i think that we're quibbling about hundreds of millions of dollars in a multibillion-dollar budget. since i am the ceo of the company, trying to get us on this path, i think that all we need to do is continue on the road we are on. i invite members to go to the kennedy space center. they will ceo ryan. it is ready to find next fall. we are not cutting back on anything. we have hardware in production.

>> i appreciate that answer. it does not satisfy my question. i will follow up later. you have graciously come before congress and testify that without receiving full funding, nasa would not be able to deliver crew transfer services. however, nasa continues to claim that these services will be available. it would seem that one of three things happened with this program. nasa requested more money than needed or nasa will not be able

to meet the 2017 launched casual. how can you say that if you don't get full funding for commercial cruise that the schedule will slip. this is the same thing you said in previous years. nasa claim to be on schedule. >> if the committee would indulge me, i would ask everyone to think back to my first hearing when i became the nasa administrator. we were requesting a billion dollars. we requested a billion dollars for a total of $6 billion for commercial crew. that was based on my estimate. one provider would cost about $2.5 million. we multiplied and i added a billion. we got zero the first year. the second year we had 525 million. we were targeting 2015. we would now find ourselves month away from watching americans -- launching americans from american soil. over time, i cap come back to the committee. if we do not get full funding, we will slip. i came back and said that we had slipped. we will not have commercial crew available until 2017. we may not have the competition that i need. the committee in florida -- we said that we need competition. i want to remind people of the history of commercial crew and how we got here. we are now faced with a 2017 availability.

i am not -- i have been consistent. i have said that we will slip if we do not get our funding. i am the same thing today. if we do not get with the president requested, i cannot guarantee 2017. we will continue to pay the russians and i do not like that. >> in previous years, you said the same thing. you contend that we are on schedule? >> i said 2015 the first time i testified before this committee. i said we can do that if we fund the budget. i came back at a subsequent point and said that we will not make it. we will make 2017. given the level of funding that we have, we are on track to

still get you 2017 if we are given the amount of money that the president requested. >> i think this committee agrees a few. we do not want to be solely reliant on the russians for human access to space. we want to launch american astronauts from american rockets. >> budgets are about choices. this committee chose to rely on the russians. they chose not to accept the president's recommendations and request. you cannot have it both ways. >> we are getting away from that. we are not continuing to rely on the russians. we have some serious budget constraints. not just dealing with nasa, but all of our just cautionary's ending. we are looking at some serious issues. we know the world has not become a safer place. it has become much more dangerous.

we need to have a presence in space. friends that are not friendly to us will have a presence. you know that whoever has the high ground dominates the battle space. my time has expired. i will turn to the ranking member for her questions. >> thank you. i will take advantage of that extra time. i will continue this line of questioning. you indicate that we can stay on track to launch astronauts from american soil i 2017 if congress fully funds your budget request. that budget request is 848 million dollars. last year, you received 96. the choice for congress is in order for you to commit to making that 2017 date, we have to commit to the $848.3 million. in addition to that, i want to know what your confidence level is if we are at $848 million. >> my confidence level is good.

it is high. my confidence level for making 2017 is not as high. that is the reason that we put money into the opportunity funds. >> i want to get to what informs your confidence. i want to know -- we have requested an independent cost estimate. it was not done. tell me what the basis is for your 2017 confidence level. >> my basis for everything i do before this committee is my leadership team. they head of the human expiration missions. if i am have to smart as they are, that will be good. we also talk to the industry.

we are dependent on american industry contributing a major portion of what he's going in to the commercial group. we are able to stay on track because i do not know how much space x or goal weight has put

of their own personal funds into commercial air craft. the difference to keep us on track has been because the companies are expecting that we will be fully funded. they continue to up their investment. that is my guess. >> with the 2014 levels of funding for orion and what you requested resulting in 2017 -- >> 2017 him long before that >> if congress does not funds fully, with development activities will have to be delayed in order to accommodate? >> compliance with human standards and other requirements. they will be under contract. we will have to stretch that contract out. that is what always happens. you have less money. >> we have two things we can work with. cost and schedule. if i do not have enough money, these little stretches out. it always does.

in commercial crew, i did not have to worry as much about the cost because that was a partnership. the companies were also putting in money as necessary to make sure that they stayed on track with their milestones. >> let me ask again and maybe you have it, can you provide to us the independent cost estimate that was done that informs your belief and your confidence in the 2017 date. >> i'm told that that will be

available shortly. we will get it to the subcommittee. >> we are counting on that. >> yes ma'am. >> i am concerned about the possibility of a premature set -- selection of a transportation service provider. on the aerospace safety advisory panel, they recommended for 2013 that competition be maintained until safety is achieved. how are you dealing with these safety considerations? if we are going keep the process open for competition, how do you inject safety? >> we put the competition in and write contracts that allow us to get into the facilities and levy additional regulations if necessary. we are confident right now. we just went through a contract process. it involves commercial crew capabilities. it is a contract that has allowed us to work with companies. we asked them to demonstrate how

they will meet our safety standards. demonstrate how you will document those standards. show us how you will handle has agreed works. we are doing that with them. we have worked with them for years. they can meet or exceed our standards. that is exactly what they will do. they will have their own standards. >> my time is more than expired. let me read to you from this annual report. if nasa down selects 21 provider before the selectee has demonstrated that they can be a required level is easy, there is potential that the provider may not be able to meet the requirements for a number of reasons. in that situation, nassau will have few alternatives. they must either move the safety

goalpost or they will incur an overrun or a schedule slip. if competition is maintained, nasa may have alternatives other than accepting a less safe design or late delivery. i only share that with the committee and you because it is very clear that if we move toward one, depending on what our budget numbers are, the likelihood that we are not paying the attention to crew goes out, not down. >> no, ma'am. the likelihood that we will pay less attention to safety is euro. safety is something that i do and the commercial crew does. our attention to safety is independent of cost. we may become even more vigilant. the schedule will stretch. we will require additional

testing. that is what happens when you don't have competition. they begin to think that they rely on us. you must have it. that is not the case. we are not going to do that. >> i now recognize the gentleman from texas. >> administrator bolden, we are all regretful that we are relying upon the russians to take american astronauts to the international space station. given the turmoil ukraine, our current relations with russia are obviously not good. are you aware of any threat that russia might refuse to take american astronauts to the international space station. >> i am not aware of any threat. i am comfortable. we speak to the russians every day. there are a lot of people in russia. our partner is not russia. our partner is the russian space

agency. we are confident that they are just as interested and intent on maintaining the partnership as we are. hopefully the problems on earth are not going to accept -- affect -- we had this type of problem when the russians went into georgia. >> thank you. let me go to my next question. last may, a nasa advisory council chairman testified, i see no obvious connection between the retrieval mission and the technology that would work wire russian exploration. i understand nasa is undertaking a study on the possibility of 2021. is that the case? >> that is not the case. we have been working with inspiration mars. we have agreed to let them take nasa technology and they can use

nasa facilities. we are partnering with them. >> perhaps i misunderstood you. i thought you said that you would review that. >> we are not doing a study. >> are you reviewing the 2018 or the 2021? >> we are reviewing any efforts that nasa might make in supporting inspiration mars. >> you are not making any official evaluation? >> this started out as a partnership where they needed nothing from nasa except the mission. class maybe i misunderstood your letter to me. i thought you were undertaking a review. >> we are not undertaking a

formal review where we go and hire an independent firm. >> that is not what i is asking. >> we are constantly reviewing whether inspiration mars is a suitable alternative for us in getting to mars. >> i just quoted the chairman. he said there was no obvious connection. >> if you talk to steve squires today -- i don't doubt you could put political pressure on him. [laughter] >> he testified before this committee and he was pretty clear. >> that was a direct quote.

just to be clear, i put no pressure. i cannot put pressure on him. his testimony stands. the quote is still valid. unless you have other information. >> i talked to him weekly. he counseled me. do not make this seem like he will save the planet. show us, the committee, how this is relevant to getting people to mars. we have done that. if you put the chart back up, i will not dwell on it. he said that there is no connection. >> i will take demands were in sight hear from him. >> this regards the james webb telescope and the other program as well. we expect james webb to launch in 2018.

what information might weekly and from those telescopes that will help us in our understanding of cosmology? >> james webb will allow us to look into the atmosphere of the planets that have been discovered through kepler and other observatories. james webb will continue to revolutionize our understanding of our universe. hubble has rewritten textbooks. james webb is advertised to be 100 times more potent and powerful. >> what might we learn from astrobiology? >> we might learn about the makeup of xo planet and what their -- exoplanets and whether there is a possibility of life existing. >> thank you. >> i recognize the gentlewoman from texas. >> my apologies. >> thank you very much. >> ambassador bolton, welcome back. thank you for your informative testimony. i want to start dimensioning the importance of investing in earth science programs. i want to acknowledge the economic impact of that research.

i cannot overstate the importance of accurate climate and weather forecasting to my constituency from agricultural to the fishing communities. continued investment helps us understand the climate and it is important and significant. last year nasa inherited climate sensors that were formally a part of the noaa program. nasa only received funding for a small amount of time. >> is in the process. if i remember correctly, we plan to take the two sensors and they will actually become a part of the international space station. we have the option of making them free flyers. we worked with a variety of

missions. we are trying to enhance the utilization of stations. we are beginning to put more and more earth science. >> terrific. i want to all while -- follow-up comments made by my colleague. there was concern about investing in education missions. as someone who discussed this issue and that committee and the education committee, it is a priority will stop many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and their constituency -- i want to talk about the nasa base grant for a gram. -- space grant program. i met with the consortium and our conversation august on the importance of keeping didn't engaged -- students engaged in stem. it is very important. at one high school in my district, they are doing a nano lab launch.

the difference that this is making to the students at his high school, they are thrilled that they have two separate analog going up. they are so excited. we are talking about holding people who want to work in this field and they are looking at someone from work and who -- forget who -- or gone -- oregon who has done this as well. it was an amazing opportunity. he could not have done this otherwise. he said that the opportunity had an incredible impact on his career. it was his first industry experience. it solidified his desire to pursue a career in aeros ace. -- aerospace. as we are trying to build people to work in the field

is also make sure they are getting the benefits of snakes exploration. can you talk about how the space grant program is engaged in getting student in the stem cells and hub of the role of engaging the public. >> for many who may not understand space grant, every state in the nation has a space grant consortium, and it's usually headquartered in the state. it's a dependable source of education for nasa. we have asked them to extend their work into they k-12 level, where they were very comfortable at first, but as a result of working with us on the summer of innovation, which is probably

where the young man in school has learned about stem education we now have a consortium. they are making sure it is in their states over a time. >> do you expect that is going to be cut? >> no, one of the things i never have to worry about is reductions in space grant. we ask for what we think will be required to maintain them. >> i am almost out of time. i yield back. >> i now recognize the gentleman from alabama, mr. brooks. >> inc. you, mr. chairman. i am somewhat astonished by your testimony that shifts responsibility to congress for america's current inability to launch astronauts into space. this administration made the unilateral decision to cancel nasa's constellation program,

thereby delaying america's return to human spaceflight. this administration made the decision to mothball our space program and put them in museums. this administration has grown america's welfare transfer programs over 750 billion dollars a year, more than 40 times nasa's budget. welfare programs that put a higher priority on buying a collection votes, no matter the funding for nasa or other functions of the government. now i hear testimony this government wants to invest in america. when the space program was forced on this administration by

richard shelby and other congressmen, who believed in american exceptionalism in space. with that as a backdrop, russia is engaged in acts of war against ukraine in the crimea. america's response has been sanctions without any hope of causing russia to leave crimea. recent intelligence shows russia may go beyond and attack eastern ukraine. all of this raises the specter this administration will impose more sanctions, which in terms -- in turn russia will respond by denying access to the international space station, and they can do that because we are reliant on russia to get to the international space station. please describe to this committee what nasa's plan is to put american astronauts on the international space station

should russia say they are no longer going to give us a ride to the space station. >> congressman, i am not going to engage in a debate about history. if the fact that the decision to phase out the shuttle was not made by the obama administration. that was made under the bush administration. >> when the space station was mothballed, president obama was president of the united states. he could have made the decision >> when the space station was mothballed, president obama was president of the united states. he could have made the decision to use the space shuttle, or he could have made the decision to keep it available in a state of emergency. he chose not to.