Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) underlined the importance of adhering to the Budget Control Act while creating the NASA Authorization Act of 2013 during his opening statement at a recent Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing.
“We have based our authorization for NASA on a ‘go-as-we-can-afford-to-pay’ strategy as reflected by the Budget Control Act of 2011,” Smith, the chairman of the committee, said. “The Budget Control Act was endorsed by members on both sides of the aisle, and signed into law by the president. We should not ignore the law of the land even if we don’t agree with it.”
Smith said that while he hopes the BCA will be repealed and replaced, the committee should abide by the law and work within its funding limitations.
“In my view, it would be irresponsible for the authorizing committee to ignore fiscal realities and leave hard decisions that we should make to others,” Smith said. “In adhering to the Budget Control Act, the difference in the amount of funds authorized by this bill compared to the president’s budget is only about five percent.”
Funding for NASA priorities, including the Space Launch System and Orion Crew Vehicle, the Commercial Crew program, the operations for the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope,and supporting NASA’s unique planetary exploration program would still be possible within the BCA limitations, according to Smith.
The committee recently approved the reauthorization bill in a 22-17 vote. Other votes taken during the markup rejected amendments offered by Democrats that would surpass the spending limits set by the BCA. The approved bill successfully maintained the previously set budget limits.