Thank you, Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, distinguished members of the committee. I'm honored and very grateful to be here before you today as President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. I've lived the American dream, and I owe this nation a great debt.
I would happily serve President Trump in any capacity, but to work alongside the people that have expanded the boundaries of exploration and brought humanity closer to the stars would be the
privilege of a lifetime. Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge my crew mates as you did earlier Senator, along with my wife Monica and my 2 wonderful daughters that are sitting behind me, Mila and Liv. I do recognize I am a newcomer so I thought I would share a bit about my story along with my understanding of the challenges and the opportunities that lie
ahead. I am an entrepreneur and my journey began when I took a risk and left school at age 16 to build a company in my parents basement. Despite my unconventional start, I found success very early in life and LED my company into a multi billion dollar enterprise that employs thousands. I'm a pilot with an aeronautics degree. Over the last 20 years I've flown over 7000 hours in jets and ex military aircraft, setting world records and performing in air shows.
My passion for aviation also led me to start another company, this time a defense aerospace business. As a company, we operated the world's largest private Air Force. Our job was to fly fighter jets as adversaries, executing enemy tactics and training American war fighters. We managed hundreds of millions in defense contracts and save taxpayers billions along the way. I'm also an astronaut. Alongside A talented team, I LED 2 record-breaking missions to
space. On my last mission, we tested a new spacesuit while performing a spacewalk and orbited farther away from Earth than any human is gone since the last time Americans walked on the moon. Along the way, my 2 crewmates, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, became the women who've journeyed farthest from Earth ever. I'm an advocate for science. During these missions to space, my crew and I performed approximately 50 science and
research experiments. I've also publicly supported the Chandra X-ray Observatory and offered to fund a mission to extend the life and capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. I care about the people back at home and our collective future here on Earth. Myspace career did not burden the taxpayers. They were privately funded and aimed at inspiring and helping people all over the world.
One example is the over $250 million we raised to support Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital and their critical work to ensure no child dies in the dawn of life. Alongside these efforts, I personally donated hundreds of millions of dollars to charitable endeavors. I share all this because I am not a typical nominee for this position. I've been relatively apolitical. I am not a scientist. I never worked at NASA. I do not think these are weaknesses.
In fact, I believe President Trump found them to be strengths. And if confirmed, I will bring all my experience to the greatest adventure in human history, the quest to discover the secrets of the universe. On that note, NASA is the most accomplished and respected space agency in the world. But for all NASA's historic achievements, the agency is not without challenges. Presidents have called for a return to the moon in a path to Mars since 1989, and well over 100 billion has been spent
without the intended results. Most programs, new telescopes, Rovers, X planes, entire spaceships are over budget and behind schedule. And this is discouraging because when people look up at the stars and wonder what is out there, they want those answers today and not decades down the road. And I know it is not lost on members of this committee that we have geopolitical rivals moving at impressive speeds.
It's imperative for our national security, our pride, and all that we stand to gain an exploration that we never come in second place. If confirmed, and with his support and guidance of President Trump and members of Congress, we will reinvigorate a mission First culture at NASA with the following objectives. First, American astronauts will lead the way in the ultimate high ground of space.
As the President stated, we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. And along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national Security benefits for maintaining a presence on the lunar surface. We will focus our technology development efforts on the world S greatest engineering challenges, such as the practical application of nuclear propulsion, so we can truly
unlock humankind S ability to explore among the stars. 2nd, we will ignite A thriving space economy in low Earth orbit, but working alongside international partners and industry, we can unlock the true economic potential of space and delivering deliver meaningful benefits the American people. Potentially even charting a course for NASA to become a self sustain A financially self-sustaining agency #3 NASA will be a force multiplier for science.
We will leverage NASA's scientific talent and capabilities to enable academic institutions and industry to increase the rate of world changing discoveries. We will launch more telescopes, more probes, more Rovers, and endeavor to better understand our planet and the universe beyond. If confirmed, I will work alongside and recruit the most talented minds this nation has
to offer. And we will concentrate our resources towards achieving the near impossible, the objectives that no other agency, company or institution is capable of accomplishing. We will do so knowing the risks and the groundbreaking opportunities that lie ahead. Because some risks, like exploring the world's beyond
ours, are worth taking. We will do this not just to expand our knowledge or strengthen our national security, but to improve all life here on Earth and inspire the next generation to reach even further. This is why America needs NASA, why the world needs NASA. Because there is no more important investment than inspiring our children to build a better and more exciting
future. And that, and the best way NASA can do that is by delivering our mission and ushering in a new golden age of science and discovery. And we will not fail. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Trustee.