ADMINISTRATOR CALLS CUTS TO NASA BUDGET 'DEVASTATING'

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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 13:40:11 -0400 (EDT) From: NASANews@hq.nasa.gov
Subject: ADMINISTRATOR CALLS CUTS TO NASA BUDGET 'DEVASTATING' Sender: owner-press-release@lists.hq.nasa.gov To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Peggy Wilhide

Headquarters, Washington, DC                   July 27, 1999

RELEASE: 99-86

ADMINISTRATOR CALLS CUTS TO NASA BUDGET 'DEVASTATING'

"The NASA team just launched Chandra, the world's most
powerful space telescope," NASA Administrator Dan Goldin said. "Today, we will have to turn it back on Washington to see what remains of the NASA budget."

Last night, a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee passed a funding bill that cuts NASA's budget about 11 percent below the President's request for Fiscal Year 2000.

"Year after year, NASA is touted for doing more and more with
smaller budgets and held up as a model of good government," said Goldin. "The NASA employees get up every day to achieve what most think is impossible. They have risen to the challenge of smaller budgets. And this is the reward the NASA team gets? Not only is this cut devastating to NASA's programs, it is a knife in the heart of employee morale.

"It is a shame that in the same week that we are celebrating
the legacy of the space program -- and we are building on it by sending the first woman to command the Space Shuttle -- we could be effectively smashing one of America's crown jewels," Goldin said. "NASA continues to deliver amazing scientific discoveries and reach new heights of exploration. To many Americans, NASA is a cornerstone of our national pride. But there is nothing to be proud of in this budget.

"Over the past five years, NASA has restructured the Agency,
done more with less, reduced government employees by one-third without forced layoffs, and still significantly increased productivity. Up until now, NASA has always stepped up to the budgetary challenge. This time the NASA team plans to fight. These cuts would gut space exploration. They may force the closure of one to three NASA centers, and significant layoffs would most certainly follow," said Goldin.

The Administrator noted other implications for the budget as well:

• For the past seven years, the NASA budget has declined and, because of inflation, the Agency's buying power is already down by one-third.
• While the subcommittee's cuts total $1.325 billion, if these figures are projected out five years, the cuts would total approximately $5.3 billion.
• Over the past five years, NASA's streamlining efforts have saved the taxpayer $35 billion.

"This cut destroys the technology base built by NASA," Goldin
said. "Our ability to further reduce costs and increase scientific productivity would end. NASA is one of only a few investments our nation makes to ensure a bright future, a strong economy and the technology base to achieve it. As a result of the cuts, we would be forced to eat our seed corn, and in the long-term it would weaken America's technological and defense sectors. Perhaps most sadly, we will lose the opportunity to inspire a future generation of children."

"I won't feel better until every nickel is restored," said
Goldin.

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