Washington (CNN) – New year, same focus. The Republican led House of Representatives, in its first major action of the 2014 session, voted on another bill aimed at Obamacare – this one meant to fix what the GOP views as a serious security problem with the new health care website.

The House Friday passed a bill 291-122 to require the Administration to notify within two days anyone impacted by a security breach on HealthCare.gov, the website where Americans can enroll for insurance coverage.

All House GOP members backed the measure and 67 Democrats crossed the aisle and voted for the bill.

House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Michigan, pointed to the revelation on Friday morning that 70 million people were hit by a data breach at Target, a top retail store. Upton said his committee heard from senior officials at the Department of Health and Human Service who “expressed serious concerns” about the security of the heath care website before they rolled it out in October.

Democrats countered that those concerns have been addressed, and the GOP bill wasn’t a serious effort to fix the law, but a move to discourage people from using the website to get health insurance.

“This is purely a message bill, that’s all we do these days,” California Democratic Rep Henry Waxman said, “this message is one that is designed to mislead.”

Republicans said protecting American’s personal information was one issue that should get bipartisan support, and the bill simply requires the Administration to own up to any security problems.

“It shouldn’t take an act of Congress for the White House to provide that information, but the lack of transparency surrounding the security of the Obamacare website has proven that’s the case,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement after the vote.

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Aaron Albright, spokesman for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS,) told CNN, “to date, there have been no successful security attacks on Healthcare.gov and no person or group has maliciously accessed personally identifiable information from the site. Security testing is conducted on an ongoing basis using industry best practices to appropriately safeguard consumers’ personal information.”

But House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, noted that an outside credit agency warned the website was vulnerable and asked, “why do we wait until there is a data breach?”

New York Democratic Rep Joe Crowley argued the GOP had become “the shutdown party,” citing last fall’s government shutdown and arguing this latest Obamacare vote – one of over 40 in this session of Congress – was an attempt to shutdown the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

In a tweak to the scandal involving Republican Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and the deliberate shutdown of traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge, Crowley said, “heck they’re even shutting down bridges in New Jersey.”

The Obama Administration opposed the bill, and put out a statement on Thursday saying it would impose new burdens on the agencies charged with implementing the new health care law and potentially impede any investigation of any data breach.

Hoping to avoid another federal shutdown like the one in October, the Republican-controlled U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to support the budget proposal crafted by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.,on Thursday night.

The budget passed with 332 votes, which included 169 Republicans, a majority of the GOP’s House contingent. The Republican leadership, including U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, supported the budget agreement. Only 94 congressmen opposed the proposal which sets the federal budget at $1.012 trillion and is expected to cut the deficit between $20-23 billion.

In terms of the Florida delegation, most members from the Sunshine State voted to support the agreement.

While some conservative groups opposed the deal, some Republicans who won their seat with help from the tea party movement supported it, including U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.

“The House acted today in a bipartisan fashion to restore the long-term certainty that hard-working families deserve,” said Southerland on Thursday night. “This common-sense agreement cuts the federal deficit by $23 billion and strengthens the readiness of our military without increasing taxes. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a win for the American people. And by eliminating the possibility of another government shutdown in January, we are now able to keep our focus where it belongs: on improving conditions for job growth and addressing the crippling impact of the disastrous Obamacare rollout.”

“The American people are tired of Washington dysfunction,” Yoho said after the vote. “Legislating from crisis to crisis has caused a trillion-dollar debt and an acceptance of the status quo. This budget resolution offers a path to reduce the deficit and cut spending in a responsible way. Getting back to a regular budgeting process allows us the opportunity to cut spending and root out wasteful programs. I look forward to breaking through the partisan logjam and doing what the American people sent us up here to do—bring back the greatness of America. While not a perfect bill, this is an important first step in bringing our nation back from fiscal calamity.”

Other Florida Republicans who voted for the bill include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; and U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

“While this bipartisan agreement does not please everyone, it does take necessary steps to reduce the deficit without raising taxes or relying on the devastating cuts of sequestration that would endanger our national security,” Crenshaw said on Thursday night. “Now the appropriations process can operate on a clear path toward fulfilling its duty of creating fiscally-responsible appropriations bills that fund every agency of the federal government. Lurching from one budget crisis to another is no way to do business, and this framework adds some welcome certainty into the equation.

“During these budget negotiations, my commitment to our national security did not waver,” Crenshaw added. “I will not stand idly by and allow our military to be stripped of the resources it needs to protect us at home and around the globe.”

Most Florida Democrats also supported the bill, including U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla.

Deutch weighed in on Thursday night to explain why he supported the deal.

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“Today, a bipartisan budget agreement passed the House of Representatives that prevents another harmful government shutdown and staves off cuts to NIH research without cutting a dime from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits,” Deutch said. “Yet even as we all agree that protecting our economy from these kind of self-inflicted wounds is a step forward, we must also acknowledge that it fails to address the major economic challenges of our time. Our deficit has shrunk to its lowest level in five years, and yet this deal unnecessarily pockets $20 billion in savings that could have paid for preserving unemployment insurance for millions of Americans struggling with long-term joblessness. Nor does it include the kind of forward-thinking investments in our economy that will create jobs and opportunity for the middle class. With this modest agreement behind us, I hope the 113th Congress will begin taking action on the priorities of the American people, from pro-growth immigration reform to a minimum wage increase to tax reform that creates jobs here at home.”

Included in the 62 Republicans who voted against the deal were U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla.; and U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla.

“This budget deal increases spending now and promises to replace the increases with spending reductions scheduled to occur far into the future,” DeSantis explained on Thursday night. “Because I am doubtful these reductions will materialize and because I promised my constituents I would work to reduce spending, I could not support the deal.

“Furthermore, changes were made to military retirement programs that do not apply to civilian employees or retirees,” DeSantis added. “While veterans will be the first to support fiscal reforms that will avert a debt crisis, it is unfair to apply these changes to current military retirees but to no one else.”

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., was one of 32 Democrats who voted against the proposal.

“This budget deal is better than the status quo and it’s good to see bipartisan cooperation,” Frankel said. “With that said, because of the cuts to Medicare, reduction to military retirement payments and leaving millions of Americans desperate without any source of income because of failure to renew unemployment insurance, I voted no.”

Two members of the Florida delegation—U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla.—did not vote. Radel is currently in rehab after being busted for cocaine possession.

Florida’s two U.S. senators are divided on the budget deal with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., supporting it and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., opposing it.

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – The Military Affairs Council (MAC) of the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted its Community Service Awards last Wednesday at the DoubleTree By Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, 2080 N. Atlantic Avenue on Cocoa Beach.

Those recognized were SFC Michael L. Christian, Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute; 1st Lt. Danielle DePaolis, 5th Space Launch Squadron; and SSgt. Ben Smith, 45th Launch Support Squadron.  Each winner received a plaque, an $83 gift card from Navy Federal Credit Union, a $250 gift card from the Military Affairs Council and a certificate from Congressman Bill Posey.

RECOGNIZING CHARITABLE SUPPORT

This annual event recognized both men and women that are serving on the Space Coast for their contributions of personal time and talents to many non-profit and charitable organizations in Brevard County.

Commanding officers from each of the branches nominated enlisted and non-commissioned personnel for the awards.  There were nineteen nominated. Each of the nominee’s contributions were recognized and received a special commemorative plaque.

The major sponsor of the event was Health First, Inc. Table host sponsors included IAP Worldwide Services, Space Coast Intelligent Solutions, Inc., AT&T, The Boeing Company & Vitas Innovative Hospice Care. VIP Ticket Sponsors were Two Men and a Truck-Brevard, Sales Motivation Solutions, Navy Federal Credit Union, DoubleTree by Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, Government Contracting Resources, Crest Cleaners, Magic Dove Magic Shop, Sam’s Club and Auman Photo Studio.

The Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce was established in 1968 and serves Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Patrick Air Force Base, Port St. John, Rockledge, Palm Shores, Suntree and Viera.

Letter to the Editor

Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, has run a very successful business for many years. He has been a longtime friend and someone who has demonstrated the highest level of integrity in his business and political endeavors.

Posey tried many times to work with Democrats to create a workable health care act. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius kept reminding Republicans that Democrats won the election and blocked them from creating a bipartisan health care program.

Pelosi forced a midnight vote on Obamacare, saying “we have to pass the bill so we can find out what’s in it.”

Therefore, the Democratic Congress, which never read the bill, passed it without a single Republican vote. Where was the liberal news media during all of this?

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More than 65 percent of union members, 79 percent of business owners and 72 percent of the American public does not want Obamacare.

Posey and many of us are asking: If Obamacare is so great and so affordable, why are federal workers, Congress, the Senate and all federal staff exempt from it?

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who worked on the Affordable Care Act, said Obamacare is a “train wreck” and needs to be corrected. Now, former President Bill Clinton is requesting Congress change the law, saying President Obama needs to deliver on his promise that if Americans like their health plans, they can keep them.

Bill Posey, we are fortunate to have you as our congressman. Keep voting and working on behalf of Brevard County and the space program.

The Navy SEAL Muster and Music Festival takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Fort Pierce.

SEALs dedicate statue Saturday
Vietnam rescue memorialized at Muster reunion

Under heavy gunfire from dozens of North Vietnamese soldiers, Navy SEAL Mike Thornton lifted critically injured fellow SEAL Tom Norris onto his shoulders and carried him in the darkness down to the beach and into the surf of the South China Sea.

Inflating Norris’ life jacket, Thornton kept him afloat and breaststroked for about two hours to a support boat after that October 1972 beach-landing firefight near the Cua Viet River. Norris — who had been shot in the head —underwent surgery and endured three years of rehabilitation, but he survived.

Now, this spectacular Vietnam War battlefield rescue will be memorialized in bronze. Saturday, officials will dedicate a 10-foot statue depicting Thornton carrying Norris on his shoulders during the 28th annual Muster reunion at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce.

“It was the only time this century when one Medal of Honor winner was rescued by a person who would eventually get a Medal of Honor for rescuing him,” said Rick Kaiser, executive director of the museum.

Kaiser expects about 10,000 people to attend this weekend’s Muster events, which include a 5K beach race, a music festival, a memorial service and demonstrations of SEAL sniper, parachute and K-9 teams.

The statue was commissioned by former presidential candidate Ross Perot, who is friends with Thornton. The sculptor is Paul Moore of Norman, Okla., who also crafted a Perot-commissioned bronze statue of Gen. Hugh Shelton at the Airborne and Special Operation Museum in Fayetteville, N.C.

This year’s Muster commemorates the 70th anniversary of the original Naval Combat Demolition Unit “frogmen.” In 1943, the military took over portions of Hutchinson Island and established a training base at Fort Pierce.

Here, frogmen trained to penetrate enemy beach obstacles and defenses. Predecessors of today’s SEALs, these elite fighters trained for D-Day, a possible invasion of Japan and other World War II amphibious assaults.

The war ended in 1945, and the Fort Pierce base closed the following year after about 140,000 men had been trained there.

The museum was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1985 at the site of the former Fort Pierce Treasure Museum, and active and retired SEALs and their families from across the United States have gathered for annual Muster reunions ever since.

Viera resident Amir Pishdad is a retired Army chief warrant officer who has volunteered at the museum since 2004, manning the front desk, photographing events and serving as tour guide. His son, Amir Pishdad Jr. of San Diego, is a retired SEAL lieutenant commander who served from 1973-1996.

The elder Pishdad has attended the past nine Musters with three generations of relatives.

“It’s basically to get together and socialize and have a good time. Socialize, talk about the past and support the museum,” Pishdad said.

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“It’s a family affair for us, because we believe in the cause. Freedom is not free unless someone does it for you — you’ve got to pay for freedom,” he said.

In July, U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, presented Vietnam veteran Jack Proctor a Bronze Star during a ceremony at the museum. Proctor, 71, who lives in Cocoa, was honored for helping transport two seriously wounded American soldiers to an airbase in August, 1971.

The museum also operates the Trident House, a three-bedroom riverfront home in Sebastian used by families of SEALs who were killed in combat, injured SEALs and other personnel.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638
or rneale@floridatoday.com.

Follow Rick on Twitter: @rickneale1

A group of Puerto Rican veterans gained a major victory in their quest for a Congressional Gold Medal as 15 additional members of the House of Representatives agreed to co-sponsor a bill in favor of their push.

Three Democrats and 12 Republicans added their support to the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Act, which was introduced earlier this spring by Representatives Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR) and Bill Posey (R-FL). Its companion bill in the Senate was introduced in June by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and has 18 of the necessary 67 co-sponsors.

The bills would award the Congressional Gold medal to members of the 65th Infantry Regiment “Borinqueneers,” who comprised the largest, longest-standing, and only active-duty segregated Latino military unit in U.S. history. Similar actions have already been taken for the famed Tuskegee Airmen and other segregated U.S. military units

“We want to highlight the courageous actions they took,” Frank Medina, the president of the Boriqueeneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance, told Fox News Latino earlier this year. “It’s comparable to any other U.S. soldier.”

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While many veterans of the 65th Infantry are highly decorated – such as Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and distinguished service crosses – the Congressional Gold Medal would be awarded to all veterans of the regiment, Medina said.

“The Congressional Gold Medal will be the highest award granted by Congress to a segregated Hispanic unit,” he added.

The alliance not only wants to spur Congress to award the medal to the Puerto Rican veterans, but also to raise awareness for the adversity the soldiers faced on the battle field and upon return to civilian life.

“They served their country and then they got back to Puerto Rico to find that they don’t have the same status as other soldiers,” said Javier Morales, the president of the 65th Infantry Veterans Association.

A 65th Infantry veteran, whose brother was wounded in Vietnam by a claymore mine, Morales now spends his time traveling around his home island, visiting with other veterans and hearing their concerns.

Besides the lack of any formal recognition from Congress, Morales said, many veterans have not been given the proper care and benefits that other soldiers received when retiring from active duty.

“Some don’t have benefits. They were wounded, they’re suffering from PTSD and they need help,” he said. “The treatment we received when we got back was horrible.”

FLORIDA TODAY gave Rep. Bill Posey a “thumbs down” Wednesday for what it labeled an “impossible stand” on Obamacare. Let’s review Rep. Posey’s position the day of the partial shutdown.

First, requiring members of Congress, staff, the president, White House staff and presidential appointees to sign up for Obamacare. Second, delaying the Obamacare mandate on individuals for one year. If someone wanted to sign up for Obamacare, they could still enroll.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid objected to these two points.

Rep. Posey’s office has received numerous correspondence from constituents who have seen their premiums increase as much as 400 percent, had their work hours cut, have been dropped from their plans or can’t keep their doctors.

When Obamacare was passed, Americans were assured they could keep their current plans and doctors, costs would go down, it was not a tax, and there would be no rationing of medical care. Advocates for Obamacare should ensure that it does the things they said it would do, and provide relief to all who are adversely impacted.

Sen. Reid let the government shut down to protect the White House from having to use a product that they are forcing others to buy, while not letting people say no to something they don’t want.

Congress should enact relief for all adversely affected

Everyone knows that on Oct. 1, there was a partial government shutdown.

It resulted from an impasse between the Republican House, Democratic Senate and President Obama over two issues:

1) Whether Congress and the White House obey the same Obamacare rules you do.

2) Whether individuals should get the same waiver from Obamacare mandates that the President unilaterally gave large corporations and special interests.

These two requirements were put in the Sept. 30 funding resolution that passed the House and on which the Senate has refused to negotiate.

My office recently received a call from a Merritt Island constituent upset because the new health care law led to the loss of his medical insurance. He liked the coverage through his wife’s full-time job, but the health care law forced her employer to cut her to part-time, eliminating their health insurance.

A Rockledge constituent emailed this week to inform me that their doctors no longer will take their insurance; and a constituent in Palm Bay wrote that their insurance costs just doubled, costing them another $2,781 out of pocket. I’ve heard lots of similar stories, and it’s wrong for Congress, the White House and large corporations to get a special exemption.

Small business owners have shared accounts with me describing how they have had to cut full-time employees and opted not to expand their business because of the health law’s requirements. This law is having a very real and adverse impact in our local economy and across this nation.

When Obamacare was passed on a party-line vote under then- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, people were assured they could keep their current doctors and their insurance company. They also were told it would cost them less, it was not a tax, and there would be no rationing of medical care — none of which is completely true.

First and foremost, leaders in Washington who have advocated for Obamacare have a duty to see to it that these principles are reflected in the actual law, and Congress should enact relief for all Americans who are adversely impacted, not just some special interests and large corporations.

There’s no doubt that some people like the new health care law and there are a few provisions with which I agree. But the administration and a complicit media have glossed over the harm this law has already caused millions of Americans.

If some want to ignore these facts and play the blame game, I can’t stop them.

But what I will do is fight for those workers, families and businesses in our community that have been wronged by Washington’s deception and its unwillingness to treat them fairly.

WASHINGTON — It’s been a rocky few years for the Space Coast district represented by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge — starting with NASA’s decision to retire the space shuttle in 2011.

The end of the 30-year program led to thousands of job losses at Kennedy Space Center. The beachfront region still is trying to recover from the economic body blow.

As Posey begins his third term, he said his primary goal is reducing local unemployment, a trauma he knows well after losing his own job as a safety inspector decades ago when NASA downsized the Apollo moon program.

“It’s jobs and the economy,” Posey said during a 45-minute interview in his Washington office. “That’s the biggest [priority].”

Unemployment in Brevard County and Indian River County — the bulk of Posey’s district, which also includes east Orange — is stuck at 8 percent or more and continues to outpace state and national averages.

To cut those numbers, Posey is pushing a multipronged agenda that aims to diversify the economy while reigniting the space sector.

A key first step, he said, is establishing a new commercial launchpad near KSC that could attract emerging rocket companies such as SpaceX.

State officials are working with federal lawmakers to secure a site near the ghost town of Shiloh, which sits on the Volusia-Brevard border.

“The Shiloh site will yield big dividends in the future,” said Posey, including the potential for hundreds of new jobs. But the effort has been snared in red tape and some environmental concerns, and Posey said he plans to hassle federal bureaucrats to hurry the approval along.

Timing is critical because SpaceX is expected to announce soon where it wants its newest launchpad, and Florida must show signs of progress if it hopes to beat competitors such as Texas and Puerto Rico.

Early cost estimates have put the pad’s price tag at less than $100 million, with the bulk of that cost being borne by the company that uses it, along with some state funding.

Outside the space world, Posey is pushing federal regulators at NOAA to reassess fish populations off Florida’s east coast.

In recent years, catching several species — notably red snapper, tilefish and wreckfish — has been restricted because of past overfishing. Posey wants NOAA to take stock now to see whether their populations have rebounded enough to increase catch limits.

A survey on red snapper, for example, is planned to begin in 2014, but Posey and the fishing industry want to begin that work immediately in the hope it generates more work for Florida anglers.

“We firmly believe that if true scientific work was done, the catch [allowed] would be greater than it is now,” said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. And, he added, “we’ll back off” if that survey shows the fish are still below required levels.

Posey also is seeking to generate jobs through upgrades at Port Canaveral. Authorities there want to widen the facility from 400 to 500 feet and deepen the harbor by 2 feet — making it roughly 46 feet deep at its lowest point.

“Ships have gotten so large, so fast over the last couple years,” said John Walsh, interim CEO of Port Canaveral. “We need that extra margin of safety.”

The goal is to attract more cruise lines and cargo ships to Port Canaveral. Walsh said the two upgrades could create hundreds, if not thousands more jobs with the increased traffic. The estimated cost of these upgrades is about $54 million, and Posey is seeking to route about $34 million in federal dollars to that effort, with the remainder being covered by state and port funding.

“It’s just a matter of money,” he said.

As a final goal, Posey is pressing to give more flexibility to U.S. Customs and Border Protection so inspection agents can work on a seasonal or part-time basis.

The idea is to help boost flights to facilities such as Melbourne International Airport, which don’t often attract foreign airlines. A more-flexible staffing option could make it more cost-efficient for these small airports to welcome international visitors.

Congress granted that flexibility in a law that passed this year, and now Posey is pressing customs officials to test the new arrangement at Melbourne airport.

“We are a lot further along than we were six months ago,” said Richard Ennis, executive director of Melbourne International Airport.

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., is leading a bipartisan congressional coalition in re-introducing a bill directing NASA to return to the moon by 2022 and to establish an American colony there.

It would be a massive project in which the Florida Space Coast likely would play a role.

“The Russians are going to the moon; the Chinese are going to the moon,” Posey tells Sunshine State News concerning HR 1446, the “REasserting American Leadership in Space Act,” or REAL Space Act. “They’re not going there to bring back some rock samples and study the origins of the moon and the earth; they’re going there to colonize.”

Posey is hesitant to tout the benefits his legislation would accrue to the Sunshine State’s space program, downgraded under President Barack Obama. He insists his bill is an issue that “transcends parochialism and transcends partisanship.” But he can’t deny that Floridians – especially his own Space Coast constituents – have much to gain from the bill’s passage.

“There are many companies throughout the state of Florida that benefit from our space program, and I don’t think there is a single county that doesn’t have some connection with the space industry,” the congressman and former state senator admits. “But that’s not the purpose of this legislation, though that’s obviously a positive spin-off.”

U.S. presidential candidate Newt Gingrich received much mockery during his 2012 Republican primary campaign, for suggesting that moon colonization should be a priority for the United States; but Posey, whose congressional district includes the Kennedy Space Center, insists the nation has vital national security interests in maintaining space dominance.

“The moon is America’s military high ground,” Posey tells SSN, before recounting a visit he made to Israel a couple of years ago. “I went to the [Israel-occupied] Golan Heights … You can launch a rocket and hit anywhere down [in Israel] that you want, and they can’t even see you. That’s the best visual I’ve had of military high ground,” he says, referring to Israel’s interest in not having that territory in the hands of Muslim jihadists.

The bill’s text refers to the importance of claiming the moon as a launching pad for the exploration of the solar system and other corners of the universe, especially Mars. Exploring and colonizing these frontiers “helps support the long-term survival of our species,” Posey says, insisting that those who take an “‘I want it, I want it now, and I want the benefits now” attitude are being short-sighted.

“There’s numerous benefits to space that people don’t think about every day: No space? No weather report, no laptops, no wireless, no cell phones, no credit card use – it just goes on and on,” he explains. “We’ve got 32 critical satellites: take out half of those, and suddenly most of this country is out of business.”

The bill does not yet have a companion in the Senate. An aide in Sen. Bill Nelson’s office said he would inform Florida’s senior senator and one-time astronaut about the bill.

The REAL Space Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, Frank Wolf, R-Va., Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., John Culberson, R-Texas, Steve Stockman, R-Texas, Pete Olson, R-Texas, Rob Bishop, R-Texas, and Ted Poe, R-Texas.