Rockefeller Praises President Obama’s State of the Union Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV tonight praised the priorities outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address. The Senator also announced the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on boosting American manufacturing in the coming weeks as part of a larger effort to emphasize innovation and an economic revival.

Rockefeller and Snowe Ask NASA to Eliminate Waste and Fraud in SBIR Program

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today responded to the NASA Inspector General’s audit of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The audit found that NASA is wasting more than $2 million a year in SBIR funds because it does not have adequate financial controls in place to safeguard taxpayer dollars.

Chairman Rockefeller’s Remarks on Transition and Implementation: The NASA Authorization Act of 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C— The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 was signed into law nearly two months ago. The bill was the culmination of a spirited year-long debate between members of Congress, the Administration, the space community, and the American public on the future of America’s space agency. We were able to find a sensible center, and the resulting bill signed into law will help refocus and reinvigorate NASA, while making key investments in aeronautics, science and human space flight missions.