Critical Time for NASA
When Congress returns to Washington on September 8 it will have about three weeks to decide what priority it will give to NASA’s space science and earth science programs. The outlook is very uncertain.
A seemingly impossible job was given to new House appropriations subcommittee chairman James Walsh (R-NY) -- to produce a viable FY 2000 VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill with less money. This $90+ billion bill is the third-largest appropriations bill, and funds the VA, HUD, EPA, NSF, NASA, and a variety of other programs.
The result was an initial version of the FY 2000 bill that would have cut next year’s NASA budget by $1.4 billion from this year an amount 11% below the Administration’s request. NASA Administrator Dan Goldin said, “Not only is this cut devastating to NASA’s programs, it is a knife in the heart of employee morale.” He added, “NASA continues to deliver amazing scientific discoveries and reach new heights of exploration. To many Americans, NASA is a cornerstone of our national pride. But there is nothing to be proud of in this budget.” “These cuts would gut space exploration,” Goldin concluded, warning that one or more of NASA’s centers might have to be closed.
House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) did not buy this prediction. He called threats to close NASA centers and initiate layoffs “disingenuous at best and purposely inflammatory at worst. These are scare tactics, pure and simple, and should be rejected as such.” Sensenbrenner added, “What’s best for NASA is everyone calmly taking another look at the budget and working the democratic process to make space a higher priority.” "...I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress from both sides of the aisle to ensure that our civil space program stays on a positive track.”
It took a few days for the subcommittee’s draft bill to reach the full House Appropriations Committee. Once there, Walsh successfully offered an amendment to move $400 million from the AmeriCorps national service program to NASA. AmeriCorps is a favorite program of the President, and this cut will be mightily resisted in coming negotiations.
The $400 million helped, but the NASA budget would still be $1 billion below the current year. The total Science, Aeronautics and Technology budget would be down $678.2 million from this year to a recommended level of $4,975.7 million. Within this budget, Space Science would decline $240.8 million, and Earth Sciences would be down $285 million. In explaining these and other cuts to NASA’s budget, the committee report explains: “The Committee recognizes that the funding reduction for NASA is significant. However, when looked at on a program-by-program or project-by- project basis, the recommendations are less severe than they appear at first. Projects which are specifically noted for cancellation are for the most part very early in their development, so sunk costs are minimal and long-term savings are significant.... Additionally, other reductions are in the budgets for planning future missions and technology development, and many of these budgets have grown significantly over the last two years.”
Among those organizations that have expressed alarm about these proposed cuts is the American Astronomical Society (AAS), one of the Member Societies of the American Institute of Physics. See their web site at http://www.aas.org/policy/NASABUDGET.html for further information. The current and future presidents of AAS have just issued a statement on the “devastating impact on astronomical research in the United States, and on US Space Science in particular” caused by the proposed cuts in NASA’s and the National Science Foundation’s budgets. See FYI #125 for the full text of this statement.
This bill goes to the House floor in two weeks. During House consideration of this bill, it is expected that amendments will be offered to increase NASA’s budget. For example, Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) plans to offer an amendment to move $100 million from the EPA budget to NASA’s proposed budget. Reports indicate that the Science Committee is working with House appropriators to find additional money.
After the House finishes work on this bill, it will go over to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) has said he would closely study the funding levels in the House bill. VA, HUD subcommittee chairman Christopher Bond (R-MO) will be a key figure in the mark up of this bill, as will Ranking Minority Member Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). Mikulski has said, “These cuts are a direct result of the draconian budget caps imposed by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. It is time to raise these caps and make the strategic investments we need to be able to plan for our country’s future. Continuing our investments in science and technology are vital as we entire the new millennium.... I will do everything in my power to restore the cuts to NASA’s budget....”
Weldon has been assured by House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and other senior Republicans of their support for restoring the proposed cuts in the NASA budget when the FY 2000 VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations bill goes to the House floor on September 8. There are at least three uncertainties: how much money might be restored, where that money will come from, and the number of votes these amendments will receive. The representatives making these votes will look to their leadership, and to their constituents, for guidance.
