Congress may slash NASA budget

[blacknebula]

"Nobody will be happy"<br /><br />That's the prediction of Rep. James Walsh (R-NY), who chairs the subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee that deals with VA, HUD, and independent agencies like NASA. That subcommittee is scheduled to meet Tuesday and mark up their FY2005 budget bill. In an article in Monday's Syracuse Post-Standard, Walsh said that this year's budget will be the toughest he has had to deal with in his six years chairing the subcommittee because money is particularly tight this year. As a result, the various departments and agencies included in this budget bill will likely not get all the money requested in the President's original budget proposal. This includes NASA, which is seeking an $866 million increase over FY04:<br /><br />Measured against other critical needs, "I don't see how I can do that," Walsh said.<br /><br />The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the budget bill later this week, just before recess.<br /><br />Nasawatch.com reports that the House Appropriations Committee is planning to cut 1 billion from President Bush's FY05 request for NASA. This comes on the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. President Bush is expected to address and defend his space vision tommorrow, a day after meeting with the Apollo 11 crew at the White House.<br /><br />

 

[omegamogo]

Like <b>hell</b> they will! isn't NASA's budget tiny enough already?

 

[Leovinus]

Figures. But the budget has to be balanced again. These record deficits are killing this country. You'd think they could cut something else first. Space always seems a low priority to Earthbound budgeteers. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[omegamogo]

Yay, i'm a Comet! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[blacknebula]

Exactly....just as poll number come out showing support on the anniversary of the moon landings, congress wants to cut the budget. This cannot happen. If FY05 is not passed as the Bush plan recommends, the vision is dead and we will still be in LEO. <br /><br />This cannot happen. Talk, write, and email your congressmen and women today.

 

[canadian_joe]

Hope this doesn't turn out to be turn to be true. Not only would they not give the increase, but cut the current budget back. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[blacknebula]

Sounds fine to me. It's too bad JIMO was cut, but I'd rather go to the moon.

 

[mooware]

Looks like it is true. They cut the NASA budget<br />

 

[craig_mcgill]

It's a very politically astute set of cuts though. They made sure the shuttle got the lot it needed so that they could not be accused of endangering astronaut's lives or cutting back on the safety work. If I was a PR flak my argument would be "we had to get money to the shuttle so no more people die".

 

[blacknebula]

-Originally posted in the "New Vision Reaches 68% Support" thread<br /><br />Doesn't look like MtM was fully funded. <br /><br />The National Aeronautics and Space Administration would get $15.1 billion next year, $229 million below this year and $1.1 billion below Bush's request. <br /><br />Just $372 million was provided out of the $910 million Bush wanted for initial preparations for manned missions to the Moon and Mars. <br /><br />That included just one-fourth of the $520 million he proposed for the crew exploration vehicle, which NASA envisions as the eventual replacement for the space shuttle. <br /><br />The space station would get $1.7 billion, $100 million less than the president wanted. The space shuttle would get the full $4.3 billion Bush proposed. <br /><br />http://www.space.com/news/nasa_budget_040720.html <br /><br />Sad news, especially today . <br /><br />

 

[backspace]

"$438 million resulting from delaying the Crew Exploration Vehicle;"<br /><br />Absolute crap.<br /><br />My exact words to my congressman's office just now:<br />"This is a dirty trick. Cutting the NASA budget at the last minute, during the 35th anniversary of the moon landings. We'll all remember this at election time. They'd all do well to depoliticize this issue."<br /><br />Crap.<br /><br />Call your congressman. Look up their #'s at house.gov<br />and don't take this sitting down.

 

[backspace]

Does this then go to the senate? If so, maybe we can try to get it fixed there...

 

[remcook]

how many steps does the proposed budget have to take or is this the final one? <br /><br />(same question as backspace)

 

[blacknebula]

I have written Senator Brownback, and I guarantee that he will do his best to defend the space program and MtM.

 

[blacknebula]

This will be debated for quite awhile, like always. Congress takes their August leave and re-convenes after Labor Day.<br /><br />Talk to your congressmen today!

 

[backspace]

The staffer I just got at Sen. Carl Levin's (D- MI) office couldn't answer that, but I voiced my opposition anyway. From the sounds of it, with so many people on the committee upset already, maybe there will be issues with it passing. I can only hope the Senate gets to vote on this and cuts something expendable like missile defense or JSF first.

 

[backspace]

Staffer in Brownback's office:<br /><br />"You're about the 125th person to call in the last two hours. Yes, the senator is as upset as you are."<br /><br />Weird for me to reach across the aisle.

 

[blacknebula]

Carl Levin is in committee right now. You try calling again later ( see C-SPAN ).

 

[backspace]

Levin's been extremely pro-space. In fact, this is the e-mail I got from him before:<br /><br />"Thank you for contacting me about the National Aeronautics and Space<br />Administration (NASA). I am glad you shared your concerns with me.<br /><br /> As you may know, it was little more than hundred years ago that<br />Wilbur and Orville Wright left the ground for the first flight in a winged<br />plane. Since then, technology has advanced exponentially. With such<br />progress, many have come to view spaceflight as routine.<br /><br /> However, the journey of exploration always poses great risks. The<br />tragic loss of the astronauts aboard the Columbia, as with the Challenger<br />and in Apollo I, offers stark reminders of the dangers inherent in space<br />flight. Nevertheless, space exploration will continue, for exploring our<br />world and the heavens has been a dream of humanity since long Columbus out<br />across the Atlantic Ocean seeking a new route to India.<br /><br /> Earlier this year, President Bush offered his vision for the future<br />of NASA. One of the main goals of this plan is to introduce a new space<br />flight vehicle to replace the space shuttle. In addition, the President<br />called upon NASA to return humans to the moon no later than 2020 in<br />preparation for a manned voyage to Mars.<br /><br /> Although the precise details regarding funding for these proposals<br />have not been made clear, much of the funding is expected to come from a<br />reallocation of NASA’s current funding.<br /><br /> A generation ago, the challenge of manned spaceflight inspired<br />thousands of students to pursue careers in math, science and engineering.<br />We are still benefiting from the innovations this generation helped<br />develop. By rededicating ourselves to spaceflight and the wonders of<br />science, we can produce another generation that will tackle new challenges<br />and inspire us with their discoveries.<br /><br /> Those who perished in

 

[blacknebula]

Great idea...even the mainly robotic Planetary Society is frustrated by these budget cuts.

 

[wvbraun]

Man, this is my first post since the messageboard went down about two weeks ago and all I have to say is: crap. I hope this is not the final word from congress but I can't see how this could still be reversed...Very bad news.<br />

 

[silylene old]

For the cost of the Iraq war ($89B) plus the yearly Iraq rebuilding aid ($14B/yr) we could've put a man on Mars.<br /><br />Or we could've landed 450 MER-type rovers on Mars, plus another 56 rovers / year.<br /><br /><br /><i>"No one died when I lied" Bill Clinton, 2004.</i> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[blacknebula]

and would we have anyway....no <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <br /><br />Do not turn this thread political. If you want to discuss politics, go to the "John Kerry to Visit Cape Canaveral" thread in free space.

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">how many steps does the proposed budget have to take or is this the final one?</font>/i><br /><br />This was the vote by the appropriations subcommittee on "Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies" (Yes, NASA's budget is listed in that group).<br /><br />I am not sure if the full house appropriations committee has to vote on it as well.<br /><br />The full house has to vote on the budget, and of course the senate votes on their appropriations independently. Then there is the conference committee where the house and senate negotiate the differences between the two bills/budgets. Then it finally goes to the president to sign. So in short, there is still a lot of steps involved.</i>

 

[blacknebula]

Good news: Senator Brownback is on appropriations.