Extension of Remarks

May 25, 1994 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 11957 EXTENSION OF REMARKS THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NASA pointed out that these reforms provide no in For fiscal year 1996, the bill provides $14.4 AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FIS stant gratification and will take sustained effort billion, the overall request level. This fund CAL YEARS 1995 AND 1996 to ensure that they achieve cost savings. In ing level is still several hundred million the interim, I envision that there may be some below an inflationary increase over the 1995 level. In order to sustain the space and aero HON. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. real need to restructure NASA's programs nautics program over the long term, the Ad OF CALIFORNIA along the lines I have suggested in order to ministration and Congress will need to un IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES provide a bridge to the future. dertake an in-depth review of NASA's fund I would like to include with this statement a Wednesday, May 25, 1994 ing requirements during the budget prepara description of the bill and its principal provi tion cycle for fiscal year 1996. Specifically, Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, sions. I hope to bring this bill before the there is a need for an objective assessment of today I am introducing the NASA Authorization House as soon as possible. the true savings obtained from the manage Act for fiscal years 1995 and 1996. Over the NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINIS ment reforms undertaken as part of the.Na coming weeks, I hope to move this bill expedi TRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS tional Performance Review and an assess tiously through the committee legislative proc 1995, 1996 ment of the actual budgetary needs of the ongoing and anticipated programs. ess. BACKGROUND Mr. Speaker, as you know, this is perhaps The " Augustine Report" issued in 1990 has SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE BILL the most critical year NASA has faced since generally been acknowledged as the most the cancellation of the Apollo Program. This is thorough review of space policy since the Some of the major reductions identified in the first time since then that the administration Apollo period. One key recommendation of the bill are as follows: has requested a decrease in funding of our that report is that the budget for the space The bill provides for a reduction in the Nation's space and aeronautics activities. In program should achieve a greater stability Shuttle flight rate of one mission per year. addition, within this lower funding envelope, and should increase in real terms. Since the Continued erosion of NASA's budget in the NASA is seeking to continue major programs issuance of that report, the NASA budget ap out years may necessitate an additional re propriated by Congress has decreased in real duction in flight rate. such as the space shuttle, the space tele terms. scope, and the space station. Moreover, the five year budget runout has The bill assumes a deletion of one Spacelab Since this situation became clear to me, I decreased substantially due to a combination mission, MSL-1. It is possible to recover have worked hard to help ensure that the allo of overall budgetary stress and shifting Ad some of the science lost by this action on a cations within the Appropriations Subcommit ministration priorities. For the period 1994- series of Spacelab missions and joint activi tees provided enough funding to provide an 1998, the fiscal year 1994 budget request for ties with the Russians. adequate and balanced space program while NASA required a reduction of $15.7 billion The bill eliminates the Mars Surveyor new retaining enough money for the space station. and the fiscal year 1995 request required an start. It is anticipated, however: that in Despite the efforts of many, it is still unclear additional reduction of $8.1 billion. In short, creased cooperation with the Russian science the NASA budget has enjoyed neither the whether the allocations provide for this. community may provide for a restructured stability nor the real growth envisioned by joint mission. Therefore I am introducing this bill today to the Augustine report. help clarify the true needs of the space pro This authorization bill is intended to de The bill defers work on an Ocean Color gram this year. Mindful that some reductions fine a path for maintaining balance within Imager and Altimeter now part of the Earth will eventually need to be made, this bill identi the space program within the budgetary re Observing System. Other potential flight op fies nearly $290 million in program cuts. It straints that have been imposed over the tions and mission phasing is possible to also, however, identifies some offsetting ac next 2 years. The objective of the bill is to counter this deferral. tions that cannot only reduce the adverse ef sustain all of the investments that have been The Techsat program is held to 1994 levels fects of these reductions, but also provide a made in the space and aeronautics program pending a clearer demonstration of industry over the past decade including programs cofunding as originally proposed. path toward a more sustainable space pro such as the Space Telescope, the Earth Ob gram. serving System, and the Space Station. The bill provides for a moderate delay in The bottom line is contained in the bill. Any This bill does not, however, provide a long the TDRSS procurement. funding level below $14.150 billion will begin term solution. Continued decline in Adminis The bill provides for a reduction in person to have serious consequences for the space tration budget requests and Congressional nel funding due to the better than antici program. Although I will remain open to any Appropriations will result in the need for pated success of the buyout program. proposals, I will need to weigh very carefully major programmatic realignment or can The bill also provides for certain program whether to continue to support the space sta cellations in future years. augmentations and new initiatives as fol tion in its present form if the NASA budget OVERALL APPROACH lows: This bill identifies specific areas where falls below that level. The bill provides for additional funding for I have made clear that some review of the budgetary reductions are possible other than the Space Station. It also identifies specific the Global Geospace Science program in long-term needs of the space budget will be order to accommodate the launch delays now absolutely necessary during the budget prep actions that can be taken to offset the ad verse effects of such reductions and maintain anticipated. arations for the fiscal year 1996 budget. I have a heal thy and balanced space and aero The bill provides for a moderate new start met with OMB director Leon Panetta and he nautics program. on a technology development program di has agreed to consider this matter seriously. For fiscal year 1995, the bill identifies rected at advanced launch technologies in Whether or not NASA is provided with a $288.6 million in programmatic reductions cluding SSTO and reusable technologies. relative to the request level of $14.3 billion. more favorable 5-year budget projection, it will The bill maintains funding for the Univer be necessary to fundamentally reduce the cost It also provides for $139 million in offsetting additions. Thus, although a funding level of sity Space Engineering Centers which have of the space program in future years. I have been proposed for termination. welcomed many of the actions that have been $14.01 billion may be minimally adequate to maintain the fiscal year 1995 space and aero The bill establishes a new line item for proposed by NASA Administrator Daniel nautics program without impacting the Russian cooperation in science to com Goldin in this regard and I am confident that Space Station, program disruptions and lost plement the Russian cooperation in human these management reforms will have the de investments will occur. A funding level of spaceflight. It is anticipated that the initial sired effect in the future. $14.150 billion will provide for a healthy and focus of this cooperative program will be in However, a recent Congressional Budget balanced space program and more effectively Mars exploration and recovery of the science Office study entitled "Reinventing NASA" has capitalize on past investments. lost with the Mars Observer. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 11958 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS May 25, 1994 USAID'S PLANS FOR that guidance be appropriately incorporated THE ABOLITION OF BANKRUPTCY STRENGTHENING WID EFFORTS into Agency guidance documents, including HAVENS AMENDMENTS OF 1994 USAID Handbook 4. HON. LEE H. HAMILTON Finally, USAID will continue to explore HON. DAVID MANN OF INDIANA and implement ways of providing our pro OF OHIO gram managers with information to monitor IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES women-in-development program perform IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Wednesday, May 25, 1994 ance. Wednesday, May 25, 1994 Mr. HAMIL TON. Mr. Speaker, in December I greatly appreciate your enclosing a copy Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, today I am intro 1993, the General Accounting Office released of the letter of March 1, 1994, which you re ducing legislation to address an inequity in our its report on the Agency for International De ceived from Congresswoman Schroeder and bankruptcy laws that allows wealthy individ velopment's and the Department of State's your March 16 response to her.

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