Comments on: House committees to take up NASA authorization, appropriations bills this week

By: James

James — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:36:41 +0000

The authorization bill never gets fully implemented in the appropriations bills. The big porkers always want to be on the appropriations committee’s; that’s where the pork/fun/power is.

This is all headed to an omnibus bill, where the Senate version will win out, and the House bill will be discarded during the omni porkfest process.

By: DCSCA

DCSCA — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 09:59:09 +0000

And so it goes. ‘Free drift’ up to and past the midterms.

By: Dark Blue Nine

Dark Blue Nine — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 03:05:53 +0000

“If Appropriations is going forward with its own bill before thereâ€™s even an authorization bill, then why bother with an authorization bill?!”

Agreed, but that’s not what is happening here.

The House authorizers released a draft bill a couple/few weeks back. They’re going to mark it up this Wednesday. Later the same day, the House appropriators will mark up their bill.

On the Senate side, nothing has happened except the authorizers claiming that they will introduce their bill around mid-July.

By: Hiram

Hiram — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 01:14:48 +0000

Authorization says what the budget ought to be, in the context of rationale representing smart strategic planning over several years. Appropriations says what it is, for one year, in the context of the cash on hand and other demands on the account. What it is, is almost never what it ought to be, unfortunately.

By: Stephen C. Smith

Stephen C. Smith — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 00:13:00 +0000

Maybe I’m missing something, but shouldn’t there be an authorization bill before an appropriations bill? Authorization says what the budget will be. Appropriations provides the money. If Appropriations is going forward with its own bill before there’s even an authorization bill, then why bother with an authorization bill?!