House Republicans continue seeking means to cut wasteful government spending. Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) recently told The Floridian he would like to cut funding to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other agencies that continue to spend taxpayer dollars on non-essential items.
This decision comes on the heels of the controversial NASA-sponsored air quality monitors that will soon be found throughout Florida due to the yearly sugarcane burning that farmers conduct alongside their harvest.
On the other hand, the Florida Department of Environmental Protections said air quality in the state is at a record best.
When we spoke to Rep. Donalds, he expressed confusion and disbelief at NASA purchasing the monitors, yet nonetheless stated, "We're not doing that."
"That's going to be one of the things we're cutting out of this budget coming up. We're not doing that," said Rep. Donalds.
We reminded Rep. Donalds that NASA is run by former Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), which only reaffirmed his decision to cut funding to NASA, "Exactly, we're not doing that."
Other Florida Republicans similarly disagreed with the necessity of NASA to purchase the balloons.
Representative Greg Steube (R) called the balloons a "Green New Deal agenda item."
"NASA’s pollution tracker is nothing but a Green New Deal agenda item. At a time when Florida’s emissions are at an all-time low, using our taxpayer funding to track pollution - instead of focusing on the many real threats facing Americans - just doesn’t make sense," Rep. Steube told The Floridian.
Representative Cory Mills (R) similarly lambasted the balloons as "spy balloons" and "a perfect example of the out-of-control government spending the Republican-led House of Representatives has vowed to stop."
"Wasteful government spending is at the top of the congressional agenda. NASA’s so-called ‘air quality’ monitoring spy balloons, or whatever you want to call those monitors, is a perfect example of the out-of-control government spending the Republican-led House of Representatives has vowed to stop. Congress will put an end to this frivolous spending, one way or another," Rep. Mills also said to The Floridian.
