WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the Daytona Beach News-Journal on how Florida’s Space Coast has long served as a hub for American innovation and leadership among public and private sector partners in space exploration, which he worked to grow during his time as Governor of Florida. In his op-ed, Senator Scott reaffirms his commitment to ensuring strong federal support of Florida’s Space Coast, space stakeholders and partners, as well as NASA programs to protect U.S. national security and make American space leadership a reality to guarantee our freedoms into the future and beyond.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott writes, “Since the birth of our nation’s space program, the eyes of the world have turned to Florida’s Space Coast to watch America’s brightest minds reach for the stars. While today’s space race does not evoke the drama and national attention it did decades ago, American dominance in space, which is critical to U.S. national security, is as important as ever and still firmly rooted in the Sunshine State. When Congress considers the authorizations of missions and programs within NASA, I am committed to making sure the U.S. prioritizes innovation and excellence in space and ensure Florida is well-positioned to continue to lead.

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Floridians know too well the devastating impacts of the Obama administration’s weak leadership and a lack of federal support for both NASA and America’s private space industry. Jobs were lost and strategic positions were conceded to rival nations that seek to dominate space and dictate order in this modern frontier.

As governor of Florida, I realized the strategic value of NASA to our state and nation and fought to maintain and expand Florida’s leadership – an uphill battle amid waning support in Washington - for space exploration. Over my eight years as governor, we worked to invest more than $230 million in spaceport projects to help the Space Coast thrive, supporting the creation of thousands of high-paying aerospace jobs.

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Today, the commercial space industry is a critical partner in our efforts to strengthen U.S. space leadership and it must be championed at every level of government. States like Florida cannot do this alone – the federal government must step up and be a partner.

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Earlier this Congress, I was proud to cosponsor the American Space Commerce Act and I am also fighting to pass the Licensing Aerospace Units to New Commercial Heights (LAUNCH) Act. These bills cut red tape and enhance our nation’s self-reliance in the space industry by prioritizing U.S. businesses. What these bills mean for Florida families is more jobs, and more American-made, U.S. dominance in the space industry which protects our national security and the thousands of aerospace jobs in Florida that keep our space program and commercial space industry innovating for the future.

America’s adversaries, like communist China and Russia, are actively working to outpace the United States and claim ownership of space. Every day our nation is competing against these adversaries in the space-launch industry, and we must put American interests and national security first.

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Florida’s Space Coast is the hub for this innovation and we must continue this work with allies and partners.

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We are at a critical crossroads in our work to protect U.S. national security and inspire the next generation of leaders. I will continue to fight for Florida and support our space stakeholders from across the wide breadth of partners who make American space leadership a reality to guarantee our freedoms into the future and beyond.”

Read the full op-ed in the Daytona Beach News-Journal HERE.

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