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SENATOR RUBIO ON THE FUTURE OF U.S. SPACE EXPLORATION

CBS’ CHRIS WAGGE: In 2009 alone, NASA spent $2 billion in your state of Florida. We’re seeing that the loss of the shuttle program is having a huge impact, like we just saw in Kelly’s piece right there. What can be done to minimize the effect? What do you tell the people of a place like Titusville to say hang in there?

RUBIO: Well, first of all Kelly’s piece I think accurately outlines the impact that it has locally in Florida. NASA and the space shuttle program is critically important for my state, but it’s also important for the country. I mean there’s a national security component to the space program. There’s all kinds of economic and commercial applications that are developed in space so I think that the impact of it will be felt ultimately across the country including in Texas and other parts of the country where there are contractors and here’s what I tell people back home that have been displaced by this, and that is the sooner we can get a replacement program in place the better, and that’s what we’re focused on because right now we don’t have anything to replace the shuttle and that’s why these folks are hurting.

SENATOR RUBIO ON THE DEBT CEILING

WAGGE: I want to ask you on quick question about the debt ceiling. The President talking about a massive $4 trillion cut to the deficit, we’ve reported this morning that the democrats have agreed to cut into some entitlements, republicans have agreed to closing some loopholes, Representative Cantor was on the program with us this morning, do you feel that a deal is now imminent with these new plans on the table?

RUBIO: Well — I hope – I don’t know about imminent. I don’t want to exaggerate but I’m hopeful that there’s been progress. But ultimately the outlines of the deal have to involve the control of spending and a growth in the economy and I think one of the ways we can help grow our economy is through tax reform not tax increases.  But there things in the tax code that are broken and wrong and don’t make any sense. Let’s reform those things and let’s flatten the tax code so that it’s fair and lower for everybody. That will help our economy grow and that will create more taxpayers and that will generate more revenue that we can use to pay down the debt.