Thank you Frank for that kind introduction and all the work you’re doing with Space Florida.
It is great to be here with so many business and economic development leaders in an area that is synonymous with American innovation and scientific discovery.
The science conducted in the Florida communities connected to America’s space industry has added immeasurably to our understanding of our world … and the world beyond.
In the process, the industry has driven economic development throughout this region, and helped spin off countless private sector innovations, from memory foam mattresses to advanced computing.
I came here today to talk about how this region can build on that legacy of innovation and continue to provide opportunity and good jobs for its people well into the 21st-century I know that for many people in Central Florida, that promising future might seem distant right now.
This region has endured some of the worst that the economic crisis had to offer: This move was in the cards well before the Obama administration entered office, but that doesn’t make it any easier on the NASA workers and their families who will be affected.
Before I leave here today, I hope all of you will walk away with one unambiguous message: We are committed to this region.
The measures that President Obama took to restore our national economy are starting to work.
And we have an ambitious and targeted plan to revitalize the Space Coast region.
First, let me talk about the big picture on the economy.
This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in May, the U.S. economy added 431,000 jobs.
It marks the fifth consecutive month the American economy has added jobs – excluding temporary census positions, nearly half a million in total.
And this comes on the heels of April’s increase of 290,000 jobs, which was the largest monthly increase in America in four years.
While these numbers are promising, we will not be able to reverse overnight two devastating years of recession – a period during which we lost 8 million jobs.
As the president said this week, “it’s not going to be a real recovery until people can feel it in their own lives.” But this is a start. We are moving in the right direction.
And this recovery hasn't happened by chance. The president took aggressive steps: But it was the right thing to do. And it has made a measurable difference in people's lives. Here in Florida alone, the Recovery Act is responsible for: Now, as we emerge from this recession, we need to chart a new path.
American can not, we will not, return to the pre-crisis status quo, where we: That is exactly what this president has done.
From: In the months ahead, we’re going to building on that economic foundation with: To begin with, the president is ensuring that the Kennedy Space Center, and all of NASA have the resources they need to pursue new avenues of discovery.
The president has acted quickly to increase NASA’s budget by $6 billion over the next five years, with the goal of: I am co-chairing this new Task Force with NASA administrator Charles Bolden, and we will be working closely with colleagues throughout the federal government and with local leaders to: Well, that will mostly be decided by leaders like the ones in this room.
Back in the late 1990s, I served as the governor of Washington state, – and our local leaders knew: It will be conducting a consistent and aggressive outreach effort to representatives from: And once the Task Force has gathered the best ideas from throughout the region, we owe the president an action plan by August 15th on how we will spend the funds.
The work of our Task Force is also going to be supplemented by a new $15 million grant from the Labor Department that will provide displaced NASA workers in the region with career guidance, job training, and continuing education programs.
A lot of resources will be coming to this area in the months ahead. And that will build upon the already substantial investments the Obama administration and the Commerce Department have made in Central Florida over the last year.
This administration has made a significant investment in Central Florida's transportation infrastructure with $1.25 billion in Recovery Act funding for America’s first high-speed rail line.
At the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, we’ve got an array of promising projects in the works or already underway: Rail lines, technology incubators, R&D labs, workforce training facilities -- these are all important building blocks of economic growth.
And Central Florida – with its highly-skilled, world-class aerospace workforce, has an uncommon set of strengths to build upon and expand its economic base.
I'm looking forward to working with all of you in the months ahead as we all work with a focus on the same goal: Creating high-skill, high-wage jobs, and growing Central Florida’s economy.
Thank you again for coming. And thank you for hosting me today.
I’m eager to hear from you about the work you’re doing and answer questions, but first let me hand things off to my co-chair on the Space Coast Task Force, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
