Today, Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), along with Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL), Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL), Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA), introduced a bipartisan resolution to support the designation of May 25 as “National Moonshot Day ” to inspire children to respond to challenges facing our nation with ingenuity and ambition, and to recognize the importance of committing necessary resources to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

National Moonshot Day coincides with the anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s May 25, 1961 address challenging the United States to land a man on the moon by 1970. By setting ambitious goals and supporting those goals with investments in STEM, our nation accomplished the “moonshot” goal in 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Just as President Kennedy inspired his generation, young people across the United States today are waiting for their own “moonshot” to challenge conventional beliefs about what is possible and to inspire an interest in science.

Following introduction of the resolution, Congressman Deutch released the following statement:

“Last year, two young constituents visited my office to share their excitement over President Kennedy's moonshot address. After studying his speech, they were inspired to commemorate May 25 as National Moonshot Day, a day to inspire Americans across the nation to tackle our nation's most complex challenges. We need better STEM education, innovation, and originality, and this resolution intends to promote this necessary focus among our children. As our country’s future leaders, they have the potential to reach unthinkable new heights, just as our nation did in response to President Kennedy’s challenge.”

The text of H. Res. 358 is available here.