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Planetary News: Space Policy (2005)U.S. Congress Reorganizes Committees to Consider NASA BudgetReport from Capitol Hill For the past 20 years, many space advocates have wished the NASA budget was not part of Veterans Affairs – Housing and Urban Development – Independent Agencies (VA-HUD-IA) Appropriations subcommittee, and that it could be more part of a science appropriation consideration. But the process wouldn’t budge. Now, this long-awaited change has come to pass, but it may be a case of "be careful what you wish for." The House of Representatives made their first move in late February, eliminating the VA-HUD-IA subcommittee and placing NASA with Commerce, Justice, and State, under the leadership of Congressman Frank Wolfe (VA-R). The Senate finally made their move this week, also dismantling VA-HUD-IA, and moving NASA to what they call Commerce, Justice and Science, under the leadership of Senator Shelby (R-AL). The difference between the two subcommittee structures could be ironed-out if the House decides to follow the Senate and remove the Department of State (Foreign Affairs) from the subcommittee. If not, it will be a challenge to reconcile the bills separately without an omnibus appropriation – where all the individual appropriations are wrapped up in a single bill. It does appear that the Commerce, Justice, and State departments could offer less competition for funding than did Veterans and HUD. The reorganization was instigated by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), a strong backer of NASA. But Michelle Burkett, a member of the House Appropriations Committee minority staff, suggests the reorganization may not be so good for space advocates. At a recent Women in Aerospace event discussing the changes and how they might affect NASA and the new Vision for Space Exploration, Ms. Burkett said that NASA might lose its “piggy bank” – the money that appropriators could take from HUD. She also noted that NASA was one of the only agencies to receive an increase in the 2006 budget proposal, and other agencies, such as State and Justice, "have holes that they need to fill." One of the outcomes, whether intentional or not, seems likely to be a further strengthening of the leadership's role in the Appropriations process. With the continued likelihood of omnibus spending bills, most significant budget changes are made by the leadership in the dark of night. Last year this was very positive for NASA. In addition, it appears NASA will have unusually supportive committee leadership. In the Senate Authorization Subcommittee, Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-TX) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) both have large NASA Centers in their home states to protect. The Senate Appropriators, Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) do as well. In the House, Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Mark Udall (D-CO) have both been very supportive of NASA in the past, as has been the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee, Alan Mollohan (D-WV). The only new leader for NASA is Frank Wolf (R-VA), who has already expressed concerns for the aeronautics cuts at Langley – the NASA Center in his State. The challenge for space advocates will be to show these new leaders and the entire Congress that NASA's future is more than just a jobs program for the Centers' various districts. The NASA Vision will require the support of each of these members, and each of you. The relevant committees that act on the NASA Budget are: Senate Committee on Appropriations House Appropriations Committee Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation House Committee on Science Lori Garver is an aerospace consultant in Washington, D.C. Until January, 2001 Ms. Garver was the Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where she oversaw the analysis, development, and integration of NASA policies and long-range plans, the NASA Strategic Management System, the NASA Advisory Council, and History Division. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Garver served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Plans and as Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator. Before joining NASA, Ms. Garver was Executive Director of the National Space Society, a space advocacy organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. In her position she served as the organizations' primary spokesperson, appearing on national television and regularly testifying on Capitol Hill. Ms. Garver began her career in Washington, D.C. working for Senator John Glenn from 1983-1984. She is a recipient of both the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal as well as the National Space Society's Space Pioneer Award. Ms. Garver received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Colorado College in 2000. She holds a Masters degree in Science, Technology and Public Policy from the George Washington University and her Bachelors degree in Political Science and Economics from Colorado College. |
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