NASA Funding

“NASA Needs a Nudge” (editorial, Feb. 7) claimed that “a NASA safety panel warned last week that congressional budget cuts threaten to throw the space agency into a crisis.” The report mentioned did warn that budget cuts were adversely affecting NASA’s work force and could have long-term safety implications. However, it did not attribute those cuts to Congress precisely because Congress has increased NASA’s funding over the president’s request each of the last two years. To the degree that budget cuts at NASA are creating long-term safety problems, they largely result from the president’s decision to cut NASA’s budget every year he has been in office.

In addition, President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore continue to ignore bipartisan warnings on the dangers inherent in relying upon Russia for the success of projects like the space station and the high-speed research program.

REP. F. JAMES

SENSENBRENNER JR.

Chairman, House Science

Committee, Washington