Florida’s turn

Last week the Orlando Sentinel reported that Florida’s Congressional delegation was considering a call for reallocation of stimulus funds to NASA much like the Texas delegation has requested. On Friday the office of Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas announced that Florida’s delegation has done just that, requesting in a letter to President Obama that he shift “at least $3 billion” to NASA’s human spaceflight program. “Given the ARRA’s goals of stimulating our economy, supporting science, and maintaining and creating high-tech jobs,” the letter reads, referring to the stimulus bill’s official name, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), “we believe there is no better place to dedicate these funds than to our human space flight program.”

The letter is signed by both of the state’s senators (Bill Nelson and George LeMieux, recently appointed to serve out the remainder of Mel Martinez’s term) and 13 of the state’s 25 representatives, a lower turnout than Texas, which got 26 of its 32 representatives to sign on. The 13 are 8 Democrats (including Kosmas) and 5 Republicans (including Bill Posey, whose district also includes part of the state’s Space Coast.) All five Republicans who signed the bill voted against the stimulus bill when the House approved it earlier this year.

So with a majority of two states’ delegations asking for the redirection of funding, is this a sure deal? Not necessarily. As Fox News reported today, some members of Congress see unspent stimulus funds as “untapped resources” for a variety of proposals, from a source for a one-time $250 Social Security payment to $245 billion for Medicare. The article states that it’s “unclear” if the administration would support any reallocation of stimulus money, and that it would be up to Congress to make any decision.