If you have a copy of this week’s print edition of Space News, be sure to read the interview with Congressman Bart Gordon, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee. Gordon has some interesting comments on the NASA budget and the Vision for Space Exploration.
Regarding the Vision, Gordon states that he supports “the Moon and Mars mission. I think it’ll be good for the country.” However, he’s dismayed that the president hasn’t talked more about it since its introduction over three years ago, saying that the effort will remain in trouble until the president both talks more about it and requests adequate funding to carry it out. Gordon added that his support isn’t widely shared among Democrats, again because of the president’s silence and underfunding. (One wonders, though, whether Democrats would be more willing to support it if the president spent more time talking about it, and thus more clearly was identified with it—especially given current opinions about the president on Capitol Hill these days.)
Gordon warned that, once on the House floor, the NASA budget could be the subject of efforts to transfer or remove funding by some members. “Most of these appropriations bills are done under open rules and there can be a lot of mischief done if the Congress does not have the confidence in NASA’s mission and its priorities.” And what about David Obey, the chairman of the appropriations committee? “He’s a fairly substantial problem for any funding he’s not happy with.”
His own budget priorities center first on trying to increase NASA’s topline number. If that doesn’t work, he said he would support firewalls to protect other programs from the exploration effort. However, he doesn’t believe that NASA should slow down the Ares 1 and Orion programs, and wants to retire the shuttle on schedule, although he said he wouldn’t have a problem if the final shuttle mission slipped into early 2011.
Jeff,
Since you are bringing up “political tactics†and the NASA budget, note the press release that Chairman Gordon sent out on Friday on Climate Change.
http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1762
The FULL House Science & Technology Committee will have a hearing on this subject on April 17th.
I predict that whatever NASA’s top line is (which will almost certainly come in below the President’s request) the % of NASA’s budget dedicated to Exploration will also take a cut. One of the big winners will be “Earth scienceâ€, and GSFC.
In the Senate, Mikulski will probably just “make it soâ€.
The House might take a different route. Will the Democrats intentionally wait until the NASA budget goes to the House floor, to propose an amendment — taking money from Ares 1 & Orion, and giving it to Earth science — in the hopes that the Republicans would fight against Earth science in full public view?
Assuming the Dems think this is a political winner in 08 — a “wedge issue†that gives heart burn to (and divides) the Republicans — they just might do this.
This is probably just a little bit too sly, but it would be an interesting political tactic.
– Al
Jeff: One wonders, though, whether Democrats would be more willing to support it if the president spent more time talking about it, and thus more clearly was identified with it—especially given current opinions about the president on Capitol Hill these days
I agree with Jeff’s implication here. The VSE is far better off staying out of the news than becoming a political football between the Administration and Congress. This envrionmentalist fears that Congressional efforts to score environmental points are just as likely and potentially damaging.
— Donald