Posted: Mon, Mar 17, 2003, 10:20 AM ET (1520 GMT)
A Congressman whose district includes NASA's Kennedy Space Center said this weekend there are no plans to lay off any employees of the center this year. Freshman Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL), speaking at a town hall meeting in Titusville, Florida, on Saturday, said he was aware of no plans within NASA, or at the instigation of Congress, to reduce the workforce at KSC. Feeney said that NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe believes KSC is understaffed, and is aware that layoffs lead to a "brain drain" that can have a long-term impact on the agency. Feeney also said it was too soon to discuss whether Congress would fund construction of a replacement orbiter, an outcome most people outside of NASA believe is unlikely.

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