(Roseville CA) — Tea Party in Space (TPIS), a non-partisan organization, today strongly endorsed U.S. Congressman Tom McClintock’s letter asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate NASA’s plans to issue $32 Billion in “no bid” contracts for the Space Launch System.

“Last year several Senators demanded a multi-billion earmark for a heavy lift rocket that NASA clearly can’t afford. Now NASA has capitulated, and has announced plans to heavily modify existing contracts for a failed rocket, to award billions without any competition,” said TPIS President Andrew Gasser. “The GAO should stop this anti-competitive plan before it goes any further.”

TPIS and its fellow Tea Party organizations called on the GAO to issue a “stay” halting any SLS-related contract extensions or modifications while it fully investigates whether NASA’s SLS plans violated the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA).

“This SLS bailout earmark is Solyndra on steroids. Every thoughtful member of Congress should join Congressman McClintock in challenging the spending of $32 billion in taxpayer funds without free and open competition,” declared Gasser. “Only brave actions like this will protect us from the evils of crony capitalism that is running rampant in Washington. NASA’s SLS strategy abandons everything that defines America’s system of government: fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets.

A copy of Congressman McClintock’s letter, along with a legal white paper, can be found at the TEA Party in Space website under the GAO tab.

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TEA Party in Space (“TPIS”), is a non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the American people and their elected representatives in applying the core principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets to the rapid and permanent expansion of American civilization into the space frontier, focusing on strategies for privatization, deregulation, and appropriate technology development partnerships between government institutions and the private sector. TEA Party in Space is proud to be part of a coalition of individual tea party groups with Tea Party Patriots. For more information, visit www.teapartyinspace.org

Tea Party Patriots, Inc. (“TPP”) is a non-partisan, non-profit social welfare organization dedicated to furthering the common good and general welfare of the people of the United States. TPP is the original and largest national grassroots tea party organization that is composed of over 2700 individual tea party groups. There are over a 130 tea party groups in Florida. TPP furthers this goal by educating the public and promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets. Tea Party Patriots has not endorsed candidates for public office. For more information, visit www.TeaPartyPatriots.org

Contact: Andrew Gasser
TEA Party in Space President and National Coordinator,
TEA Party in Space
850-866-0155
andrew@teainspace.com