House Appropriators Plan Big Cut for NASA, Smaller Cut for NOAA

The Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee has released the FY2014 CJS funding bill it will mark up at 11:00 am this morning.   NASA would receive a substantial cut, while NOAA would be cut more modestly.

Under the bill, NASA would receive $16.6 billion, which is $928 million less than the enacted FY2013 budget level and $1.1 billion less than the $17.7 billion Administration request.   Exploration would be funded at $3.6 billion, a cut of $202 million from the enacted FY2013 budget level, yet keep the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft on schedule.   The science budget would be funded at $4.8 billion, a cut of $266 million from the enacted FY2013 budget level, and funds planetary science above the President’s request.

NOAA would receive $4.9 billion, $89 million less than the enacted FY2013 budget level and fully funds the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R programs at $824 million and $955 million respectively.

The House appropriations committee is working under funding figures dictated by the House Budget Resolution, which protects defense spending by cutting non-defense spending like NASA and NOAA.   The markup today is just one step towards whatever NASA and NOAA ultimately will receive for FY2014.   The Senate Budget Resolution is more generous, for example, so the Senate appropriations committee is expected to recommend higher funding levels.  

The Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee is marking up the 2013 NASA authorization bill this morning as well.  That markup is at 10:00 am ET.  The Republican version of the bill would provide NASA with $16.9 billion for FY2014, while a Democratic version would provide $18.1 billion.