Not Out of the Woods: NSF and NASA Funding Bill Will be Vetoed

In a two-page Statement of Administration Policy sent to Congress yesterday, the Office of Management and Budget warned Congress that the VA/HUD appropriations bill funding NASA and the National Science Foundation is in trouble. “The President will veto this bill, if presented to him in its current form,” the statement declares.

Before leaving on its one-week Thanksgiving recess, Congress passed and the President then signed an interim bill providing money to keep various government programs running through December 15, including NASA and NSF. Both agencies have 25 days of breathing room while Congress and the Administration attempt to settle differences in the VA/HUD bill.

The Statement of Administration Policy outlines significant objections to the VA/HUD bill (H.R. 2099) now working its way through Congress. None involve NSF or NASA. Among these objections: “The bill provides insufficient funds to support the important activities covered by this bill. It would threaten public health and the environment, end programs that are helping communities help themselves, close the door on college for thousands of young people, and leave veterans seeking medical care with fewer treatment options.”

The President’s threatened veto is based on both policy and budget differences. The Statement outlines objections to the zeroing out of the national service program, declaring, “The President will not sign any version of this appropriations bill that does not restore funds for this vital program.” Also cited are environmental enforcement restrictions. Receiving the most attention in the Statement are budget cuts in the bill. EPA funding is cut 22% below the request. Funding was zeroed out for the Community Development Financial Institutions program and some housing programs. Very significantly, the Administration states that $397 million was cut from the veterans’ medical care request, making it less likely that any shifting of money from within the bill will come from the VA budget. One report indicates that around $2 billion will have to be added to the over-all bill to cover the deficiencies the Administration has identified in this $80.6 billion bill.

No one can predict with any certainty how this will turn out. If the Administration insists on additional money for the deficient programs it can come from either outside or inside the bill. The defense appropriations bill may be vetoed because it contains $7 billion more than requested. If Congress trims DOD funding, it could free up money to be used in the VA/HUD and other appropriations bills not yet signed, among them the Commerce-State-Justice bill and the Labor-HHS bill, where other deep cuts have been made. If Congress refuses to make the defense cuts, if may have to redistribute funding in the current version of the VA/HUD bill. With VA, HUD, and EPA budgets identified by the Administration as already being too low, the only remaining sources of significant funding are the NASA and the NSF budgets.

Come December 15, money may again run out for NASA and the NSF if this appropriations bill remains unsigned, and if Congress and the Administration deadlock over a short term funding bill as they did last week. Perhaps the strongest reason for optimism over an eventual settlement is the fact that December 15 is only ten days short of Christmas -- with Washington, D.C. being a long distance from many congressional districts.