National Journal Releases Text of SOTU; Sputnik Mentioned, but NASA Only Peripherally

The National Journal has published the text of the President’s State of the Union address on its website an hour before the speech is to be delivered.

After a brief mention of GPS as an example of good government investment in research, the President says that “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment” and goes on to say that he will propose a budget “to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race.” Unfortunately, space research is not among the programs he lists — biomedical research, information technology, and clean energy technology. The only mention of NASA is that it did not exist when Sputnik was launched, but we went on to beat the Soviets to the Moon.

Among the many other topics covered in the speech, the President proposes a freeze on domestic discretionary funding for the next five years, tackling Medicare and Medicaid costs, and a major reorganization of the federal government in the years ahead.