Sherwood Boehlert: “My counsel just advises me, it depends on what the appropriators do in future appropriations. But the answer is clearly…”

“My counsel just advises me, it depends on what the appropriators do in future appropriations. But the answer is clearly ``no.'' I know what the gentleman's intent is, his intent as I understand it, and that is why I appreciate the thoughtful presentation he gave on the floor today. I wish we had had it earlier. As Chairman Rohrabacher has said, he takes a back seat to no one in being concerned about how we spend money around here. So I agree with the basic intention. It is not to have additional money spent for NASA on personnel. It is to give them flexibility on the existing money we appropriate for them. Who knows, with the President's vision outlined, for this new Mars vision, eventually a generation or two ahead of us and the Moon in this generation, if the Congress decides to be supportive of that, there are going to be budget differences; but I want to assure the gentleman that our intent is to give NASA the flexibility to use existing dollars, not to add to the allocation or appropriation for NASA on personnel or any other thing.”