Comments by Rep. Kucinich: Space Activities Should be Devoted to Peace

SPACE ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE DEVOTED TO PEACE — (House of Representatives – May 24, 2005)

(Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, this week I will offer an amendment to the defense authorization bill, cosponsored by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney), the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), which will reaffirm the policy of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, signed into law by President Eisenhower, that it is the policy of the United States that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all mankind.

This amendment will reaffirm that it is U.S. policy to preserve peace in space by not deploying space -based weapons. Today’s New York Times states: “Congress and the administration need to assess whether a multilateral treaty to ban space weapons might not leave the Nation far safer than a unilateral drive to put the first weapons in space .”

Please support my amendment, cosponsored by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney), the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) to keep space devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all mankind; and support H.R. 2420, now cosponsored by 28 Members of the House, which sets the stage for a multilateral treaty to keep space devoted to peaceful purposes.