Congress Pushes Back Against Trump Science Cuts

Science wins reprieve in US budget deal, Nature
” … $1.9 billion for NASA’s Earth-science research programme, roughly equal to the 2016 level. The bill includes support for the Pre-Aerosol, Clouds, and Ocean Ecosystem satellite mission that Trump wants to eliminate. $1.9 billion for planetary science at NASA, an increase of roughly $300 million from the 2016 level. That includes $275 million for a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, including a lander. The bill would set aside $408 million for the Mars 2020 mission – and give NASA the green-light to investigate the possibility of sending a helicopter to the red planet.”
Comprehensive Government Funding Bill Released, House Appropriations Committee
“The bill includes full Appropriations legislation and funding for the remaining 11 annual Appropriations bills through the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2017. This level meets the base discretionary spending caps provided by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, and provides additional funding for national defense, border security, and other emergency needs.”
FY 2017 Omnibus Summary – Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations
“NASA is funded at $19.7 billion in the bill, $368 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.”
Keith’s note: This is the FY 2017 omnibus spending bill that covers current fiscal year spending and replaces the Continuing Resolution that governed spending at FY 2016 levels – until now. But FY 2018 starts in 5 months. What form NASA’s budget will take in Trump’s proposed FY 2018 budget is not clear at this point since this bill reverses (in a major way) nearly everything cut in Trump’s budget proposal (“skinny budget”) issued earlier this year. When you consider that Rep. Culberson has reiterated his support for two Europa missions each (presumably) launched on a SLS, that SLS continues to slip to the right and has inadequate reserves, and that Gingrich/Walker comments today about SLS speak to doubts within the Trump Administration about its survival, there is certain to be a SLS food fight at some point in the not too distant future. No doubt the future of SLS will be linked to what direction the White House wants to go in space – and how NASA will be directed to participate – or told to let others do some of the heavy lifting.