Chairman Sensenbrenner’s Comments on NASA, Space Station

The following remarks were made by House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to the Electronics Industries Association on July 15:

“With the help and support of Congress and the American people, NASA’s space and research programs have been without equial in their success. From the pursuit of pressing scientific questions to putting a man on the moon, NASA has greatly expanded understanding of our natural world and the outer reaches of space. As the 21st Century approaches, NASA now faces a new and daunting challenge in bringing the International Space Station to completion.... Although the program has not lived up to President Reagan’s hopes, the U.S. commitment to the project is still strong. I have voted for the International Space Station since 1984 because I support the human exploration of space and want scientists to have the new research opportunities it presents. NASA has already used microgravity to develop drugs that reduce complications from heart surgery and to understand the ideal structure of insulin. I think supporters of the space station in Congress understand its scientific potential, which is why we’ve been able to fend off attempts by some to eliminate it.

“Completion of the first stage of the space station is just around the corner. It is imperative that we continue to provide the necessary funding for the initial stages and move forward. But before we do that, we must address the serious funding problems and consequent delays. The NASA Advisory Council’s Cost Assessment and Validation Task Force, led by Mr. Jay Chabrow, examined the nuts and bolts of the project and concluded that the space station will now cost about $24 billion, almost $7 billion over the Administration’s 1993 estimate. Completion of the space station, according to the task force’s report, is likely to be delayed until 2005 or 2006.... [O]pponents believe the Chabrow report gives them the ammunition they need to bring the project to a halt.

“The fundamental problems associated with the space station can be reduced to a few fine points: 1) The Russians have simply failed to follow through on their funding commitments, and 2) The Clinton Administration brought the Russians into the project for the wrong reasons, placed the Russians in the critical path, and routinely let them off the hook for their failures. Complications began back in September of 1993 when President Clinton formally invited the Russian government to join the project, ostensibly as a gesture of goodwill to our former Cold War enemy. In reality, the invitation to the Russians involved gaining Russian compliance with the Missile Technology Control Regime.... Unfortunately, press reports showed that the Russian Space Agency continued selling missile technology to pariah nations....

“Clearly, our non-proliferation goals for cooperating with the Russians in the civil space area have not been realized. In 1993, Russia was experiencing deep political and economic turmoil. Despite this upheaval, the Clinton Administration told the skeptics in 1993 and 1994 not to worry, and assured them that the International Space Station would not depend on the Russians. Despite these assurances, Russia is embedded in the critical path and it would be nearly impossible to complete the current space station design independent of the Russians. Regrettably, the Russian government continues to shirk its responsibilities as a partner in the project. As you may recall, the Russian Service Module, which is the first Russian-funded component of the space station, was supposed to be launched in April of this year. The Service Module’s original April 1998 launch date was revised to December 1998 and has been pushed back to April 1999. Unbelievably, the Administration has done nothing to address this problem. NASA seems to have resigned itself to continued Russian failings.

“These delays have cost the U.S. taxpayer billions of dollars, contrary to the Administration’s original pledge that a U.S.-Russian partnership would save taxpayers $2 billion.... Bad news continues to flow in everyday. Russia finds itself in the throes of a rampant financial crisis, which could cripple the nation’s economy and destabilize its fragile and precarious political environment....

“It is critical that Russia’s mistakes and delays are dealt with quickly and effectively. If they are not, the necessary political support to sustain the space station will undoubtedly start to erode. We cannot let this happen. That is why my committee has tried to work with NASA and the White House to find solutions to these problems. However, the Administration has not been very cooperative or aggressive in proposing solutions beyond raiding the Space Shuttle and NASA’s science accounts. It’s been two years since Mr. Dan Goldin, the NASA Administrator, committed to execute a back-up plan if Russia didn’t meet its commitments. In an effort to introduce discipline into this process, Rep. George Brown, the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee, and I offered an amendment to H.R. 1275, the NASA authorization bill to impose a decision process on the Administration with regards to the critical path elements to be provided by the Russians. The Committee adopted the measure unanimously and the House passed the bill last spring. On June 24, Mr. Brown and I wrote a letter to President Clinton requesting the Office of Management and Budget to develop and send to Congress a coherent, credible funding plan for the space station by July 24. Our letter specifically advised the President against OMB’s prior suggestions for meeting space station costs by raiding funds from the human space flight and science portions of the NASA budget. This is unacceptable, and as the Chabrow report concluded, shifting funds from other NASA programs to the space station will not solve the problems we face. Congressman Brown and I also urged the President to personally intervene with Russian President Boris Yeltsin to stress the importance of Russia meeting all of its commitments. The space station needs leadership from the President to correct the current course of the station, set it on a successful path, and avoid any further erosion in support.

“Last week, the Senate passed the FY 1999 VA/HUD appropriations bill, which includes funding for the space station. Station supporters lost two votes from last year. The loss of support in the Senate is minimal at this point, which is why it’s imperative that the space station’s problems get fixed now, before Members become disenchanted and vote to scrap the project next year. This week, the House is expected to take up its version of the FY 1999 VA/HUD appropriations bill. The House funding levels for NASA are less than those proposed by the President and the Senate, and stay within the budget caps set in last year’s Balanced Budget Agreement. The House allocates $2.1 billion for the space station, while overall levels for NASA funding are set at $13.3 billion.

“In addition to keeping the space station up and running, we remain committed to constructing real policy direction for NASA. Last November, four other members and I introduced H.R. 1702, the Commercial Space Act of 1997, which streamlines regulations and promotes a stable business environment for the commercial space industry and directs the federal government to purchase commercial launch services..... H.R. 1702 passed the House last year and is currently awaiting approval on the Senate floor.

“We are also awaiting Senate approval of S. 1250, the NASA Authorization bill. The House passed its NASA authorization bill, H.R. 1275, last April. H.R. 1275 funds a technology demonstrator to take RLV technology to the next level beyond the X-33 and X-34. Although the White House specifically reduced near-term funding for space launch technologies, there is place-holder funding in the outyears. Unfortunately, if you ask five different people in the Administration what the outyear funding is for, you get five different answers....

“The NASA authorization bill and commercial space bill exemplify our desire to keep NASA prepared for the many challenges it will deal with in the future. I strongly urge the White House to sign these bills and join those in Congress who support NASA’s mission. I also urge the White House to prevent the space station from slipping into a financial and organizational black hole. Over the past few years, the Science Committee has outlined several steps that would have helped solve current problems. The White House rejected every one, but offered no solutions of its own. I remain committed to doing my best to make the International Space Station the success Ronald Reagan hoped it would be.

“It is a challenge that NASA is certainly capable of meeting. With cooperation and leadership from the White House, we can put an end to these problems and move forward with the research facility that the American people deserve.”