spacetoday.net: House committee approves NASA budget cuts

Posted: Fri, Jul 23, 2004, 1:43 PM ET (1743 GMT)
US Capitol

The full House Appropriations Committee approved a budget bill Thursday that would cut more than $1 billion from NASA's proposed 2005 budget. The committee made no major changes to the budget bill, which the committee's VA-HUD subcommittee passed on Tuesday. That bill cuts President Bush's NASA budget request by $1.1 billion to $15.1 billion, including significant cuts in the Crew Exploration Vehicle and Project Prometheus programs. The budget fully funds the space shuttle and Mars exploration programs. In a letter released Thursday, NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe asked committee chairman Rep. C. W. Bill Young (R-FL) to restore the funding cut by the subcommittee. Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) did propose an amendment to do just that, but the Orlando Sentinel reported he withdrew it almost immediately "to wait for a more opportune moment." The bill will likely be taken up by the full House of Representatives in September, after Congress returns from a summer recess that begins at the end of this week. Some members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), are expected to flight to restore some or all of NASA's proposed budget at that time. In related news, the Senate Commerce Committee took no action on a proposed NASA authorization bill, citing a busy schedule during a markup hearing Thursday morning. The committee is expected to take up the bill in September.