According to a Feb 20, 2013 press release, Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas paid a visit to NASA’s Johnson Spaceflight Center and denounced the effects that sequestration would have on the space agency’s operations and programs. Stockman represents the newly drawn 36th Congressional District that contains JSC and a number of aerospace contractors.
Invoking the Russia meteor incident, Stockman suggested that NASA fulfills one of the few legitimate functions of government by enhancing national security. He further suggested that cuts to NASA under sequestration, due to hit on March 1, would jeopardize American security and safety. He stated that the government’s priorities are askew, spending money for free cell phones and food stamps, while being overly stingy on space spending. Stockman touted the House’s efforts to replace the sequester with what he referred to as an attempt to balance the budget without tax hikes and expressed the hope that Senate Democrats would go along with that effort.
Comments