House Cuts NASA Cross Agency Support, Defeats Other Amendments

The House of Representatives began debate on the FY2013 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill yesterday.   Several amendments that would have cut NASA funding in order to pay for non-NASA programs were defeated, but one was adopted that cuts $126 million from the Cross Agency Support account.   The House also defeated amendments that would have made across the board cuts.  The House is expected to resume consideration of the bill, H.R. 5326, today.

By a narrow margin, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), succeeded in cutting NASA’s Cross Agency Support budget by $126 million in order to add money to the COPS community policing program in the Department of Justice budget.  The vote was 206-204. 

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), however, did not succeed with her amendment to cut NASA’s aeronautics budget by $44 million and space operations by $38 million in order to add funding for enforcement of financial fraud laws.  It was defeated by voice vote.

Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI) also failed in his proposal to reduce NASA’s Cross Agency Support budget by $17 million and using that money instead for the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Trade Representative.   That amendment initially was adopted by voice vote, but a recorded vote was demanded and it lost 141-261.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) proposed taking $26 million from NASA’s Cross Agency Support budget and allocating $7.1 million of that instead to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The amendment failed 96-314.

A 12.2 percent across the board cut to all spending in the bill was proposed by Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), although it would have exempted NASA, the U.S. Marshall Service, and the FBI.   The amendment was defeated 105-307.  A separate amendment by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for a 1 percent across the board cut, with no exceptions, also was rejected.  That vote was 160-251.

A list of all the amendments considered yesterday and their disposition is on the House Republican Cloakroom’s website.  Debate on the bill is scheduled to resume today along with other legislative business.