Transcription of Press Conference with Mike Griffin at NASA KSC
"GRIFFIN: We are not, in your words, we are not "whacking" the space science program to pay for human exploration. This is not "The Sopranos," we don't whack people or programs here. We have, of course, in this nation I do not need to be the one to tell you this a difficult budgetary environment. NASA is not looking forward or expecting any gifts of robust growth from either the administration or the Congress. We expect to keep approximately the funding we have, which will essentially be a very low growth funding profile and therefore, all of the components, each separate component of what NASA does can expect to have, at best, only modest growth. The difference between cuts and modest growth, I guess, needs to be explained to people. I think we're doing well and within NASA the space science program is doing well and will continue to do well."
Editor's note: With regard to "we don't whack people or programs here.", I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but that is exactly what you've done, Mike. Look what has happened to NASA's life sciences programs - and the people who did that work - during your tenure. This was a capability that took decades to create - then it was gone in an instant. Sure sounds like it has been "whacked" to me.