Posey says Obama broke law over NASA contracts for Constellation

Monday, February 15, 2010

By Jim Turner

ROCKLEDGE—U.S. Congressman Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, accused the White House of breaking the law after NASA on Friday put a halt to the bid process for the ground service contracts tied in with its next-generation space-exploration initiative.

“Administration’s unilateral decision to cancel contracts associated with the Constellation program, absent congressional consent, is a direct violation of the law and of congressional intent,” Posey fired off in a release.

On Friday, NASA announced it was canceling the bidding on the multi-billion dollar contract for the Exploration Ground Launch Services program that was expected to be announced in April.

The halt to the bidding came after President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget would end the Constellation program and its Ares rockets and Orion crew capsule. The program was meant in part to develop an alternative to the soon-to-be-retired space shuttle and to return astronauts to the moon.

NASA sent a letter to bidders advising them that the decision was due to the uncertainty for future ground operations programs, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The ground program was expected to employ 1,500.

According to Posey, whose district includes all of Indian River County, last year’s appropriations bill included a provision that only Congress could cancel the bidding on the contracts for those specific space programs.

“The president’s budget has not been approved by the Congress,” Posey stated. “Congress has not directed the Administration to cancel the Constellation program, in fact it has done just the opposite in recent legislation.”

Posey contends that by ending the programs, President Obama is also backtracking from his promise for the United States to continue to be first in space.

“It is truly disappointing that our space program lacks leadership and vision,” Posey added. “If current trends are allowed to continue, we risk reverting to pre-1961 status, having no human space flight program.”

This article is reprinted from http://www.tcpalm.com