Americans need to know what the next steps for NASA will be after the launch of the final space shuttle flight, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) said in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday.

Atlantis is set to embark on its final mission Friday.

Rubio, a freshman many Republicans hope will be the party's vice presidential nominee in 2012, lauded the space program but said its future must be clarified.

"When this final shuttle mission draws to a close, many Americans will be startled by the realization that we don't have an answer to the question: What's next for NASA?," Rubio said. "NASA has no answer, the administration has no answer, and as we transition to the next generation of space exploration, Florida's aerospace workers are left with only questions about their future."

One of the nation's largest labor unions and one of the biggest groups in the business lobby reached rare consensus on the proposed surface transportation bill put forward Thursday by Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), each saying it was not large enough.

Mica unveiled a long-awaited draft of a six-year the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or SAFETEA-LU, transportation bill. But he proposed spending $230 billion over that period, which was less than both the AFL-CIO and Chamber of Commerce would like to see spent on transportation.

"There is no debate that our nation faces not only a serious jobs crisis but also crumbling roads, transit, bridges, and other public transportation infrastructure that threaten our economic future," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. "And so it is astonishing and unconscionable that the House Republican leadership would push a surface transportation re-authorization bill that would gut current infrastructure investment by a third and obliterate over half a million jobs in the next year alone.

Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe (R) said this week he was filing legislation to create a "Pilot's Bill of Rights" that would place limits on the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Inhofe, a pilot himself, said he has helped "an untold number" of pilots deal with regulations from the FAA. 

"This bill remedies many of the most serious deficiencies in the relationship between general aviation and the FAA, and ensures that pilots are treated in a fair and equitable manner," he said in a statement. "One of the reasons I got into politics was to fight for the everyday citizen facing an uphill battle with bureaucracy, and that’s why I’m so pleased to introduce this legislation — it’s a mixture of my love of flying and pilots and my job of legislating for the people.”

House Transportation Democrats said Rep. John Mica's bill would destroy jobs, not create them.

The House Appropriations Committee Science subpanel voted Thursday to cut funding for the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, calling the project "billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management."

The decision to terminate funding for the James Webb Space Telescope, which would still need to garner approval from the full committee, House and Senate, is part of a $1.6 billion cut in NASA's funding approved by the subcommittee.

“This legislation includes funding for some of the most critical aspects of government — the protection of our people here at home, the competitiveness of our businesses and industries, and the scientific research that will help America continue to lead the world in innovation,” House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said.

"However, given this time of fiscal crisis, it is also important that Congress make tough decisions to cut programs where necessary to give priority to programs with broad national reach that have the most benefit to the American people."

The Webb telescope was designed to look deeper into space than the Hubble, but its launch date has been pushed back repeatedly — to 2018 at the earliest. The move drew opposition from some Democrats, who have called it the latest blow to the nation's space program.

“Days before NASA embarks on its final space shuttle mission, we can ill-afford to jeopardize both the current and future leadership our country has in space exploration and observation," said Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) in a statement voicing strong opposition to the cuts.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The Federal Aviation Administration is celebrating the 75th anniversary of air traffic control.

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray is the latest politician to come out in favor of an above-ground D.C. MetroRail station at Dulles Airport.

The driver in the latest fatal bus crash in Northern Virginia has pleaded not guilty.

Virginia Sens. Jim Webb (D) and Mark Warner (D) are calling for allowing offshore oil drilling in their state.

Even at less money per year, it would be better to pass a longer surface transportation than a short one, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said Wednesday as he unveiled some details about his six-year proposal.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of Environment and Public Works Committee, told reporters Wednesday that she would begin consideration of a two-year, $109 billion transportation bill in the next few weeks. But Mica will release a draft of a six-year, $230 billion Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or SAFETEA-LU, transportation bill.

Mica said his proposal would average about $35 billion a year, but he said the money can be leverage to about $70 billions a year with private sector loans, he said.

He added that in transportation, it was more important to have consistent funding levels than higher amounts.

"I have no problem working for as high a level as we can reach together, but I have constraints in the rules of House," he said of pending negotiations with Boxer.

The U.S. and Mexican governments signed an agreement Wednesday to resolve a long-running dispute over cross-border trucking.

In Mexico City, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed the agreement with Dionisio Arturo Pérez-Jácome Friscione, Mexico’s secretary of Communication and Transportation. The deal will lift heavy tariffs that Mexico placed on U.S. goods and will allow Mexican truckers to drive on U.S. roads.

“The agreements signed today are a win for roadway safety and they are a win for trade. By opening the door to long-haul trucking between the United States and Mexico, America’s third largest trading partner, we will create jobs and opportunity for our people and support economic development in both nations,” LaHood said in a statement.

The deal will have Mexico lift tariffs off more than $2 billion in U.S. goods. In addition, Mexico will suspend 50 percent of these tariffs in the next 10 days. In exchange, U.S. roads are eventually fully opened to Mexican trucks.

A leading Senate Democrat said Wednesday that the chamber will likely move forward with a two-year measure funding roads and public transportation – not a six-year bill, as originally planned.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of Environment and Public Works Committee, also told reporters that lawmakers would have to fill a roughly $12 billion shortfall for those two years, and that her committee would mark up the $109 billion legislation in the next few weeks.

“A great nation has to invest in its people, and in its resources, and its future,” said Boxer, who also signaled that she would have preferred a six-year measure. “And if we have bridges that fall down, we’re lost.”

The California Democrat added that one potential way to close the $12 billion gap would be to use funds saved from the winding down of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also said the $109 billion included spending increases only to account for inflation.