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Satnews Daily
July 14th, 2017

Highest Level of Funding for NASA Approved by U.S. House Representative's Appropriations Committee


The U.S. House of Representative's House Appropriations Committee has approved the fiscal year 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill on a vote of 31-21. The bill funds the the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Departments of Commerce and Justice and other related agencies.

The legislation contains $54 billion in total discretionary funding, a decrease of $2.6 billion below fiscal year 2017 and $4 billion above the President’s request for these programs. Funds are included to help boost trade enforcement, continue investments in space exploration programs, and advance groundbreaking science and technologies essential for innovation, productivity, and economic growth. In order to make these investments, lower-priority programs are reduced or eliminated. The bill also targets funding increases for national security, including cybercrime, counter-terrorism and espionage.

According to House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, the bill includes important investments to boost U.S. scientific innovation that will maintain our nation’s status as a global leader. In addition, NASA has also earned the highest level of funding in the history of the agency. For too many years, NASA has been overloaded with too many missions and not enough funding. This bill guarantees NASA receives the funding the agency needs to lift America’s space program above the glory days of Apollo.