Behind the scenes of the budget battle

23 November 2004: NASA will phase out 100 shuttle jobs at KSC, Orlando Sentinel

“The official denials are literally accurate, despite repeated references in NASA’s own internal documents to “layoffs.” Most of the job cuts will be accomplished through attrition, retirement and leaving slots vacant — not handing workers pink slips. The bottom line, however, is that fewer people will be preparing the shuttle fleet for its return to flight. Those remaining may work longer hours at a critical time.”

23 November 2004: Budget ax falls on lunar probe, Florida Today

“Through a hectic weekend of politicking, all NASA learned was its friends in Congress somehow convinced colleagues to support the agency’s full request for $16.2 billion — with threats of a presidential veto hanging over their heads if Bush’s moon-Mars plan did not get full funding.”

23 November 2004: Big Spending Bill Makes a Winner of Mars Program but Many Losers Elsewhere, NY Times

“In fact, NASA was such a priority that the increase of $822 million to its budget prompted deeper cuts in other agencies. Before the NASA increase, the spending bill already provided for an across-the-board cut, for each domestic agency, of 0.75 percent from what Congress had planned to spend in the new fiscal year, budget aides said. Once the NASA money was added, the across-the-board cuts were raised to 0.8 percent.”