Mikulski’s NASA Amendment Passes Key Senate Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), senior Democrat on the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved her amendment to the 2007 CJS spending bill, offered with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Chairwoman of the Science and Space Subcommittee on the Senate Commerce Committee, to provide $1 billion in federal funding to pay back NASA for the costs of returning the Space Shuttle to flight. The funding will also reimburse critical science, aeronautics and exploration programs that were cut to pay for repairs.

“NASA was hit with two tragedies – the loss of Columbia and Hurricane Katrina. The agency was never fully reimbursed in either incident, and was forced to make dramatic cuts to other programs,” said Senator Mikulski. “I am committed to restoring this agency’s budget to ensure the continued safety of our astronauts, and to supporting the critical programs that are the hallmarks of their success.”

In 1987, Congress allocated $2.7 billion in the aftermath of the Challenger tragedy to pay for a replacement shuttle. In the aftermath of the Columbia tragedy, however, NASA was not given any additional funding to repair the remaining shuttles.

The Senators’ amendment will serve as a down payment to pay back the costs of returning the Shuttle to flight and restore cuts to science, aeronautics and exploration programs that were cut in order to pay for the return to flight. The $1 billion will be declared as an emergency under the terms of the budget resolution.

The amendment will also provide $40 million to the Stennis Space Center and the Michoud Assembly Facility to complete repairs to the facilities resulting from damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and the other hurricanes of 2005.

“With the return of the Space Shuttle Discovery to flight, let us honor the men and women who are working at NASA on the future innovations and discoveries that will lead us to the explorations of tomorrow,” said Senator Mikulski.

In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled. Following the Senate vote, the House and Senate will meet in Conference Committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Both Houses of Congress will vote on the conference bill. Once passed by the House and Senate, the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill will go to the President for his signature.