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White House

Authorization bill, Katrina relief signed into law

By Jeff Foust on 2005 December 30 at 6:47 pm ET

The White House announced today that President Bush has signed into law HR 2863, the DOD appropriation bill (which includes supplemental funding for hurricane relief) and S. 1281, the NASA authorization bill.

Jim Muncy passed along to me earlier today an interesting bit about HR 2863, which provides NASA with $350 million to begin repairs to Stennis and Michoud: to help pay for the hurricane relief bill, Congress included a one-percent rescission for all non-Defense agencies, which meant NASA had to give up about $170 million, for a net increase of only $180 million, even though NASA has estimated its hurricane repair costs to be $760 million. This has caused some juggling of NASA’s budget, including the transfer of $85 million from the commercial ISS resupply program in 2006 to cover hurricane costs; it helps explain why the funding profile for the program is backloaded.

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2 comments to Authorization bill, Katrina relief signed into law

  • Donald F. Robertson
    January 3, 2006 at 2:13 pm

    including the transfer of $85 million from the commercial ISS resupply program in 2006 to cover hurricane costs; it helps explain why the funding profile for the program is backloaded.

    I have argued, and I think many here agree with me, that in the long haul this is the most important part of what the VSE has become. Already, it is losing out to other priorities, e.g., Shuttle / Station, HLLV. NASA needs to toe the line on commercial supply.

    — Donald

  • Michael Antoniewicz II
    January 3, 2006 at 6:33 pm

    So let me get this straight.

    NASA has an estimated $760 Million in hurricane damage.

    HR 2863 provided NASA with $350 Million to start repairs to Stennis and Michoud.

    But because NASA is a NON-defence related agency (yeah, right!) it is taxed 1% of it’s budget to help pay for hurricane relief and repart costs that the Federal Government is picking up.

    So NASA has to give back (or, since this is the government doing the accounting, have the money skimed off the top of the budget before NASA ever sees it) $180 Million.

    Therefore NASA has $760 Million in needed hurricane repairs, got $350 Million in to start the repairs, and had to give back $180 Million to help the government pay for hurricane repairs.

    Only in America….