White House Expresses Strong Support for SSC

In a conference call this afternoon with twelve Texan Democrats in the House, Vice President Al Gore expressed the Clinton Administration’s “very strong support” for the Superconducting Super Collider. This call follows a letter from President Clinton to the House Appropriations Committee this morning reaffirming the administration’s support for the project.

These statements come at a critical time for the collider. This morning the full House Appropriations Committee marked-up the fiscal year 1994 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, clearing the way for full House consideration of the measure. Congressional SSC opponents see the upcoming vote on this bill, which contains $620 million for the collider, as one of their best opportunities this year to kill the project. There has been increasing worry that without the Clinton Administration’s strong backing for the collider, it would be terminated (see FYI #76). Gore’s conference call to the Texas delegation, made available today, marks a very public expression of the administration’s support for the SSC.

During this call, Gore outlined important technological and economic benefits stemming from the collider, some of which he acknowledged would be long-term. Citing magnet development spin-offs such as manufacturing products and medical care, Gore stressed that the benefits would accrue not only to Texas, but also to the country. He also spoke of employment and education benefits for young scientists and engineers. Abandoning the SSC, Gore said, would indicate that the United States “was willing to compromise its position of leadership in basic science.”

At the conclusion of his call, Gore linked the continued availability of SSC funding to eventual passage of the president’s economic package, which he said has “a tremendous amount of opposition to it.” The Democratic Members of the Texas delegation will be important in what is expected to be a very close vote.

The House will vote on Thursday, June 24, on the collider. During the next seven days the president, vice president, and senior White House staff will be lobbying individual House Members for the collider. Several Texan representatives commented that this vote was going to be close, although one noted that over the last few days some undecided Members seemed to be moving towards the collider.

The president’s letter and the vice president’s call, and other actions during the next few days do not guarantee the House will vote to preserve SSC funding. These actions are, however, a real shot in the arm for the collider, without which continued SSC funding would have been a more distant possibility.