NASA CFO Commentary On FY 2022 Budget Negotiations
NASA CFO statement on FY22 budget negotiations
“Please see the attached fact sheet from OMB underscoring the importance of Congress reaching an agreement on FY 2022 appropriations, and avoiding the continuation of 2021 funding levels under a full-year continuing resolution (CR). Outlined are some of the consequences that a CR would have on NASA, including impacts on the Artemis program and climate change initiatives.
Below is a statement from NASA CFO Margaret Vo Schaus regarding an agreement on full-year 2022 appropriations:
NASA’s priorities are ambitious: addressing the global climate crisis, landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon, exploring the farthest reaches of our universe, and advancing sustainable U.S. aviation – just to name a few. It’s critical that Congress come to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on FY22 funding. A full-year continuing resolution would impair NASA’s ability to accomplish our goals, leaving the agency without the funding needed to achieve our important goals on behalf of the nation.
And a selection from the attached document:
Support the space program. The President’s Budget and the House and Senate appropriations bills provide the funds needed to keep NASA’s program of lunar exploration on track. Extending current funding levels would disrupt these plans, reduce NASA’s ability to support competition in the human lander program and delay our astronauts’ return to the Moon. A full-year CR would also leave NASA’s science programs $630 million short of the funding they need to continue development of important missions to explore Mars and understand our home planet’s changing climate. Finally, reductions to NASA’s aeronautics research would impact plans to work with U.S. industry to develop quieter and more efficient aircraft.”
Keith’s note:Of course the FY 2022 budget that the Administration is seeking to maintain – with regard to NASA – makes no mention of those billions that Senator Administrator Bill Nelson said was going to be sitting in a bucket waiting for NASA to scoop up and spend.
– Has Anyone Seen Bill Nelson’s NASA Budget Windfall?
– Bill Nelson Says He’s Discovered A New Pile Of Money For NASA
“Nelson decided that the way for NASA to get out of the fiscal mess it is in is to do a Hail Mary pass and dive into the new TBD Jobs Bill that the Administration is formulating and grab some dollars. He said “You can put $5.4 Billion into the jobs bill for the HLS that would be at the end of the day producing jobs. Another $200 million could go into that bill for spacesuits.” He went on to say “We can also put $585 million on nuclear thermal propulsion.”
Nelson then turned to another pot of forthcoming money – the multi-trillion dollar Infrastructure bill and said “Part of the jobs bill is infrastructure – there’s another $5.4 Billion. Look at NASA facilities in your state (congressman) – there is aging infrastructure.” Do the math. All told, it looks like he wants to raid the cookie jar for something like $10 – 11 billion. One would assume that OMB is on board with this plan.”
