Expand the 2017 NASA budget proposal by 3.2% to $25 billion

As citizens of the United States and of Planet Earth, there is nothing more important than expanding the reach of humanity. We currently have real opportunities to do so: American space companies such as SpaceX and Boeing could put a man on Mars for just $300 million. It could also be lucrative. With just a bit of investment, extraterrestrial mining could become a major industry of the US economy - each asteroid mined could be worth $25-30 billion. This future is entirely possible, and it would only take a few billion dollars of additional investment to make it reality. With a 2016 FY $55 billion surplus, our government has the resources to do this and there is ultimately no more important or potentially lucrative expenditure that could be made.