The Washington Post has an interesting article about House Majority Leader Tom Delay’s (R-TX) successful efforts to singlehandedly secure a large increase for the President’s Moon/Mars Space Initiative in the FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill. In a bill that included some significant cuts to science, most notably a cut of $105 million to the National Science Foundation, Delay, who counts among his constituents a large number of NASA’s Johnson Space Center employees, was able to use his clout to ensure NASA got the extra $800 million the President requested.
As the increase arguably came at the expense of NSF, let’s hope the House and Senate hold at least one hearing in the 109th Congress on whether the benefit of this significant re-prioritization exceeds the costs to the Nation incurred by cutting fundamental research support.