April 1, 2008 – WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today issued the following statement in response to the release of NASA’s Workforce Transition Strategy Initial Report. The report detailed the loss of as many as 6,400 jobs between now and fiscal year 2011 at Kennedy Space Center.
Senator Martinez said:
“There is no simple fix to this problem, but we know where to focus our efforts. We need to accelerate the Orion and Ares programs, we need to foster a competitive environment for commercial space operations, and we need to assist the individuals and businesses affected by the transition. The aerospace industry is critical for our state and our country. This is more than a huge economic threat to our region; there is the real potential for a larger loss of human capital for our country at a time when we can’t afford to lose those who’ve dedicated their lives to specializing in engineering and science.”
