Congress

DeLay trumps Boehlert

A blurb in this week’s Aviation Week (not online) notes that Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), the House majority leader, has taken over work on introducing a NASA authorization bill that would support the President’s space exploration plan. House Science Committee chairman Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), had planned to introduce the President’s version of the NASA authorization “as a courtesy” while working on his own version of the legislation, which he apparently plans to continue. With both DeLay’s influence as well as his interest in the plan—he is one of the few Congressional leaders to broadly praise the plan, and his district now includes JSC—this move would seem to raise the odds that the President’s plan will make it through the House, at least in an authorization bill.

2 comments to DeLay trumps Boehlert

  • Good news, I hope. Maybe this puppy ain’t the dead dog everybody in the media seems to think it is!

  • Michael Huang

    I hope the Centennial Challenges will make it through:

    “For the time being, NASA only has the authority to put up fairly modest purses of $250,000 or less, according to Sponberg. “Starting next year, we hope to have legislative authority to award purses above this level,” Sponberg said.

    NASA is asking Congress for $20 million for the program for 2005 — and the legal authority to grant much bigger cash prizes.

    One key U.S. senator already has endorsed the program and said he will work to get NASA authority similar to that which DARPA already has to make prizes.

    Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Commerce science, technology and space subcommittee, said in a Feb. 25 interview that he will seek to include such a provision in the NASA authorization bill being written this year.”

    NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program To Offer Cash Prizes
    Space News
    http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_040308.html