Congress

Will the lame duck Congress punt on appropriations?

As noted here over the weekend, one member of Congress, Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL), said she would make “full funding” for NASA in FY11 a priority in her remaining weeks in Congress, as members return today for a lame duck session. But will Congress even take up full FY11 appropriations bills? CQ reports that Congress may instead simply pass another continuing resolution, deferring a final decision on FY11 appropriations until the next Congress. According to the article, while outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) could push through an omnibus appropriations bill, the Senate may not be able to because of “procedural roadblocks” that Republicans could create to slow down the process and seek spending cuts. A final decision on whether to press ahead with an omnibus bill or pass a CR that would fund agencies like NASA at FY10 levels into early next year will probably not come until votes on House Democratic leadership positions for the next Congress.

20 comments to Will the lame duck Congress punt on appropriations?

  • common sense

    @ Rand Simberg wrote @ November 15th, 2010 at 3:55 pm

    “I’m shocked, shocked.”

    Really? What did you expect? What is the approval rating of Congress and why is that? Well Congress has turned into a job perpetuating advertising agency. No matter the WH and no matter their political allegiance, Congress does not do its job.

    http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob.htm

    Oh well…

  • I was being sarcastic (see the end of Casablanca, about gambling in this establishment…).

  • common sense

    @Rand Simberg wrote @ November 15th, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    “I was being sarcastic (see the end of Casablanca, about gambling in this establishment…).”

    Yeah I suspected so… But I still felt like writing my 2 cents…

  • Vladislaw

    I do not recall, would they have to raise the debt ceiling first before the budget bill or a CR? Does it matter which order it takes?

    That might prove an interesting vote also.

  • The debt ceiling must be raised when we hit it, so we can borrow more money. It’s not directly related to appropriations.

  • Major Tom

    “I do not recall, would they have to raise the debt ceiling first before the budget bill or a CR?”

    Neither. A debt ceiling vote is scheduled based on the prior debt limit set in legislation, how quickly the federal government is accumulating debt, and associated projections for when the prior limit will be breached.

    Although new appropriations permit the Treasury to undertake new spending that can create debt, that debt is not actually created until the spending takes place (not the when appropriations are enacted).

    FWIW…

  • NASA Fan

    How can any organization developing hardware and software systems ever generate an accurate forecast of costs and schedule when they have to deal with the impact of these kinds of political games in Congress? (see JWST Debacle)

    They can’t; hence, NASA should get out of the development business, and focus solely on R&D to support private industry’s leadership.

  • Alex

    Forgive my ignorance, but isn’t there a way to pass a CR that directs where FY10-level funds go (i.e. no more money on 5-seg), rather than a CR that is simply FY10 to the letter?

  • vulture4

    Kosmas really tried to get the funding bill through. She was defeated by Sandy Adams, who appears to know little about NASA.

  • Major Tom

    NF: “… can any organization developing hardware and software systems ever generate an accurate forecast of costs and schedule when they have to deal with the impact of these kinds of political games in Congress? (see JWST Debacle)”

    Per the latest report, the JWST overruns are due to bad budget estimates at program confirmation, not changes the JWST budget.

    Alex: “… isn’t there a way to pass a CR that directs where FY10-level funds go (i.e. no more money on 5-seg), rather than a CR that is simply FY10 to the letter?”

    CRs usually contain “anomalies” that can be higher or lower than the FY10 levels.

    FWIW…

  • DCSCA

    Space advocates ‘making all their no where plans for nobody’ (apologies to the Beatles) don’t seem to realize that for all intents and purposes to the American people, the space program and all these starry-eyed, costly dreams and proposals are so far and deep down the list of pressing national priorities, they’re being read upside down at the other end in China. The final curtain will begin to fall just after the 50th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s flight, after the last shuttle flight, essentially bookending it all as a closing chapter in recent history titled, ‘The Cold War.’ The only fella who seems to be on the right track is Branson.

  • No, a CR that is anything other than the previous appropriation opens up a bill to debate and is a new appropriations bill and not a CR, which is why they don’t don it, in the interests of time and comity.

  • GuessWho

    NASA Fan – “… NASA should get out of the development business, and focus solely on R&D to support private industry’s leadership.”

    Let’s see – R&D = Research and Development …. So NASA should just do R&? Ahhhh…. Rand!

    Sorry, too good an opportunity to resist!

  • A continuation of the FY2010 budget for NASA through a CR shows how low HSF is on the public totem-pole of awareness and is only important to us space cadets.

    Sad reality check.

    A question to you smart folks out there; “Eventually the National Space Policy has to be implemented, do you think a GOPer Congress will have to keep commercial space flight funded since it’s an integral part of the policy?”

  • This is why the nation desperately needs commercial space, to save us from all the Congressional silliness.

    This morning’s Florida Today has an article about a scientist proposing NASA fund a one-way human space flight to Mars:

    http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20101115/NEWS02/101115032/1007/Scientists+propose+one-way+trips+to+Mars

    Why is it that the people who want massive human colonies on the Moon and Mars demand the taxpayers finance their personal wet dreams?!

  • Dennis Berube

    To bad the politicians wont get a pay cut this year. Instead they will get pay raises, while social security doesnt get one. They sure know how to keep their asses covered dont they! I agree NASA should do better at budget control, but not be wiped out completely. Look at the James Webb fiasco, and how far over budget it is. What to do, what to do?

  • Major Tom

    “No, a CR that is anything other than the previous appropriation opens up a bill to debate and is a new appropriations bill and not a CR, which is why they don’t don it, in the interests of time and comity.”

    Sorry, but that’s not true. CR anomalies are common. Here’s a list of anomalies that went into the current CR.

    lasg.org/CMRR/CR_anomaly_list.pdf

    On page 6, there’s one for NASA that transfers $100 million from NASA to Commerce, Labor, and the FAA to help offset Shuttle job losses:

    “NASA, Transfer to DOC, DOL, and FAA to Spur Regional Economic Growth and Job Creation

    Sec. ___. From amounts provided to “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Exploration” or to “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Space Operations” under section 101, $35,000,000 shall be transferred to “Economic Development Assistance Programs, Economic Development Administration”, Department of Commerce, to spur regional economic growth in the area around the Kennedy Space Center; $5,000,000 shall be transferred to “Operations, Federal Aviation Administration”, Department of Transportation, for commercial space activities; and up to $45,000,000 shall be transferred to “Economic Development Assistance Programs, Economic Development Administration”, Department of Commerce, to spur regional economic growth in other areas affected by job losses associated with programmatic changes in the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Exploration” account or in the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Space Operations” account; and up to $15,000,000 shall be transferred to “Training and Employment Services, Employment and Training Administration”, Department of Labor, for job training activities in other areas affected by job losses associated with programmatic changes in the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Exploration” account or the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Space Operations” account.

    Language is needed to make up to $100 million available at the beginning of FY 2011 to help soften the impact of job layoffs associated with Shuttle retirement. Although the final Space Shuttle flight will not occur until February 2011 at the earliest, NASA’s workforce transition, retirement, and disposition plans continue to result in workers being laid off as the Shuttle components production is closed down. This anomaly request permits a transfer of CR funding from NASA’s Exploration and Space Operations accounts to the Departments of Commerce (DOC) and Labor (DOL) to spur regional economic growth and job creation, and to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for commercial space activities. Many of the activities supported by this CR anomaly will be occurring along the Florida Space Coast, but other regions impacted by the Shuttle retirement will also benefit.”

    FWIW…

  • Major Tom

    “Eventually the National Space Policy has to be implemented, do you think a GOPer Congress will have to keep commercial space flight funded since it’s an integral part of the policy?”

    If the new Congress wants a domestic alternative to Progress and Soyuz, then the new Congress has to fund COTS and CCDev. Besides the COTS and CCDev performers, there is no U.S. alternative to Soyuz for crew transport and Progress/ATV/HTV for cargo transport.

    Orion has no LV, has requirements that are up in the air, is at least several years from first flight, and is too expensive for ISS support. MPCV and SLS are undefined and are likely unexecutable within the requirements, schedule, and budget constraints (which are only going to get tougher) imposed by NASA’s last authorization act.

    At this point, it’s not a question of whether the commercial intent of the policy is followed. It’s a question of whether the U.S. wants a domestic human space transport capability within the next few years or not.

    FWIW…

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