Brooks introduces bill to protect funding for three key NASA programs

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, introduced a bill to secure funding for several key NASA programs that impact Alabama’s fifth congressional district.

The bill, H.R. 3625, would ensure funding for the Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station, which according to Brooks “reflects congressional priorities.”

“H.R. 3625 is multi-faceted,” Brooks said in a statement. “It bars NASA from unilaterally canceling SLS, Orion, or the Space Station without express congressional consent. As of October 2013, NASA forces SLS, Orion, and Space Station contractors to withhold and not use $507 million in appropriated funding to cover potential termination costs should NASA unilaterally terminate these programs. H.R. 3625 frees up that $507 million for productive work on SLS, Orion and the Space Station.”

NASA has regularly been a target for budget cuts and the Obama administration has not indicated it sees the agency as a priority. Brooks cited the White House’s decision to cancel the Constellation moon exploration program back in 2010 as a basis for action to protect these three NASA programs.

“Withholding scarce funds for termination liability slows development and hence increases the total cost of a project. This in turn makes it even more likely that a program could be terminated. According to NASA reports to Congress, as of October 2013, $192 million from SLS, $226 million from Orion, and $89 million from the Space Station are being held to cover termination liability costs that would otherwise be used to timely complete these scientific efforts.”

“The issue of limiting funding to account for potential termination liability costs contributed to the Obama Administration’s decision to cancel the Constellation program,” Brooks continued. “Regardless of whether Constellation should, or should not, have been cancelled, I believe it unwise to subject America’s Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station to similar risks.”

Brooks has been a staunch defender of the agency during his time in Congress. In 2012, NASA had an estimated $2.8 billion impact on Alabama’s economy according to Gene Goldman, then-Acting Director of Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center. According to Lee Roop of the Huntsville Times, 2,374 civil servants were employed at NASA’s Huntsville facilities as of Sept. 30.

Follow Jeff on Twitter @Jeff_Poor