Chairman Mollohan Protects Workforce, Revitalizes NASA’s Broader Mission
SILVER SPRING, MD – Today NASA’s largest union, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), AFL-CIO, responded to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science’s passage of their Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) spending measure.
The bill, which provides NASA with an increase of $290 million above the President’s request, including an additional $180 million for Science, $150 million for Aeronautics, and $64 million for Education, embraces NASA’s broad set of missions by reversing cuts in these programs proposed by the Administration. Equally important in the legislation is an extension of the moratorium on Civil Servant layoffs through the end of FY08. The legislation also properly curtails the Administration’s ability to undermine the Appropriations process by transferring funds between accounts.
IFPTE President Gregory Junemann provided the following comments in response to the Subcommittee’s passage of the bill:
“IFPTE applauds Chairman Mollohan’s strong leadership and dedication to funding all of NASA’s priorities. It goes without saying that in these days of severely constrained resources, achieving the proper balance is a difficult task. However, the Chairman has done just that with this bill. IFPTE also wants to recognize the newest member to the subcommittee and a leading advocate for NASA in the Congress, Congressman Mike Honda. Their combined efforts have resulted in this bill’s unwavering commitment to NASA’s core missions of Science and Aeronautics, to the brain trust of public servants devoted to maintaining the nation’s world leadership in aerospace and scientific research and development, and to the nation’s talented youth eagerly seeking the education and experience needed to become the future scientists and engineers at NASA and across America’s private aerospace sector.
“The markup’s overall NASA budget of $17.6 billion remains below that authorized, yet it carefully increases the nation’ strategic investment in key areas that have recently seen unwise cuts by the Administration. NASA clearly plays a key role in our nation’s current and future national security and economic competitiveness, and the funding plan in this bill will enable NASA to continue to perform that critical function.”
The bill was approved by the House Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee on Monday. It is expected to be approved in the Appropriations Committee next week before moving on to full House consideration the following week. For a more complete statement of IPFTE’s FY08 appropriations recommendations for NASA, please visit our website at www.ifpte.org.
