Bush NASA Space Plans Dead on the Hill

Bipartisan opposition stalls NASA

President Bush's "Vision for Space Exploration" made headlines when it was announced 3 1/2 months ago, but Congress has refused to even consider funding the initiative until NASA comes up with more concrete proposals to flesh it out.

The pessimism shrouding the proposal is unusual for Capitol Hill in that it is both bipartisan and unequivocal. "I cannot commit this Congress or future Congresses to support an undefined program," Rep. James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said at a hearing last month.

"There's a lot of consternation about this process," added Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), the ranking minority member. "I think we would like a plan, and that's not apparent here at all."

Despite charges of election-year grandstanding, Bush appears to have gained nothing politically from the announcement. A Jan. 18 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 62 percent of Americans opposed the plan. Bush has not mentioned it since the speech.

Lawmakers' efforts to pin NASA down have prompted several testy exchanges with O'Keefe. "They tell us what they're going to spend but don't say what we get for it, or when," said Gordon, a frequent critic. "And they don't tell us what programs they're going to cannibalize -- they simply have to be more forthcoming."

Late last month, in a rare bipartisan rebuke, the leaders of appropriations subcommittees in both chambers of Congress -- Walsh, Mollohan, Mikulski and Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.) -- sent a letter to O'Keefe denying him the authority to reprogram 2004 funds in order to launch the new initiatives.

Gordon said only a "wild optimist" would believe NASA's prediction that the shuttle will be finished servicing the space station by 2010, a statement echoed by colleagues of both parties. Should the deadline slip, costs "will skyrocket," Mikulski added. Shuttle operations -- projected at $4.3 billion for 2005 -- are by far the biggest item in any NASA budget.