101 members of the US House of Representatives have written to President Bush calling for a substantial increase in funding for NASA to counter the effective 13% decrease in purchasing power over the past decade as NASA's annual budget failed to keep up with inflation.

Congress of the United States

House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

October 24, 2003

President George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

On February 1, 2003, you eloquently said, "Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on." We commend you for publicly recognizing that we are a nation of explorers, and for expressing your continued support for the U.S. space program.

As you know, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has recently completed its investigation into the events and circumstances that led to the tragic Columbia accident. In its report, the Board observed that, "… we believe that the White House, Congress, and NASA should honor the memory of Columbia's crew by reflecting on the nation's future in space and the role of new space transportation capabilities in enabling whatever space goals the nation chooses to pursue."

We are writing to you as Members of Congress to express our strong support for a robust future for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is our vision that this future includes vigorous manned and unmanned exploration of the universe around us.

We believe that a robust NASA, which partners as appropriate with other government agencies, should provide the foundation for the future of our nation's space strategy. NASA should be aggressively engaged in expanding the boundaries of human space exploration, improving our nation's access to space, enabling a safer and more efficient air transportation system, solving the scientific mysteries held in our solar system and the universe beyond, and understanding our own Earth and its environment.

By tackling these challenges, our nation will maintain its technological edge over the rest of the world. A strong NASA will also play a critical role in strengthening the spirit of innovation which has made our country strong, educating our future high-tech workforce that is a prerequisite for our future national and economic security, and for inspiring the next generation of explorers.

Recognizing that NASA is funded by valuable taxpayer dollars, NASA leadership should endeavor to focus the agency on an inspiring mission that reflects the priorities of our citizens, and strive to maximize the benefits of its work and accomplishments to the American public.

Historically, the funding requested for NASA from multiple Administrations, and provided to NASA by Congress, has not demonstrated an appropriate level of commitment to an agency that is so important to the future of our nation. According to the report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, between 1993 and 2002, the federal government's discretionary spending grew in purchasing power by more than 25 percent.

In contrast, NASA's budget went from $14.31 billion in Fiscal Year 1993, to a low of $13.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2000, and increasing to $14.87 billion in Fiscal Year 2002. This funding profile represented a loss of 13 percent in purchasing power over the decade. We enthusiastically write to you today to clearly and unambiguously express our strong interest in reinvigorating NASA and turning this funding trend around.

On February 1 of this year, the world lost seven brave astronauts. Over seven months later, we continue to remember the ultimate sacrifice that these intrepid explorers made in the name of scientific discovery for the benefit of all mankind.

The greatest tribute that we as national leaders can make is to ensure that their legacy of exploration is continued through a vibrant NASA. We eagerly look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner to assure that America maintains the preeminent space and aeronautics program in the world, and we respectfully await your reply on this important matter.

signed,

John Abney Culberson

Robert B. Aderholt

Jo Ann Davis

Spencer Bachus

Brian Baird

Joe Barton

Bob Beauprez

Chris Bell

Eddie Bernice Johnson

Michael Bilirakis

Rob Bishop

Sherwood Boehlert

Henry Bonilla

Jo Bonner

Rick Boucher

Kevin Brady

Ginny Brown-Waite

Michael C. Burgess

Ken Calvert

Chris Cannon

Eric Cantor

Lois Capps

Bud Cramer

Artur Davis

Lincoln Davis

Tom Davis

Tom DeLay

Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mario Diaz-Balart

John T. Doolittle

David Dreier

Anna G. Eshoo

Bob Etheridge

Terry Everett

Tom Feeney

J. Randy Forbes

Trent Franks

Martin Frost

Charles A. Gonzalez

Bart Gordon

Porter J. Goss

Kay Granger

Gene Green

Ra¿l M. Grijalva

Ralph Hall

Jane Harman

Katherine Harris

Alcee L. Hastings

J.D. Hayworth

Jeb Hensarling

Michael M. Honda

Steny Hoyer

Sheila Jackson-Lee

William J. Jefferson

William Jenkins

Marcy Kaptur

Ray LaHood

Nick Lampson

Steven LaTourette

Jerry Lewis

Zoe Lofgren

Jim Matheson

Gary G. Miller

Alan Mollohan

Dennis Moore

James P. Moran

George R. Nethercutt, Jr.

Randy Neugebauer

Doug Ose

Stevan Pearce

Richard W. Pombo

David Price

Adam Putnam

Silvestre Reyes

Ciro D. Rodriguez

Mike Rogers

Mike Ross

Bobby Rush

Todd Russell Platts

Max Sandlin

Adam B. Schiff

Edward L. Schrock

Pete Sessions

John Shimkus

Michael K. Simpson

Lamar Smith

Cliff Stearns

John S. Tanner

Ellen Tauscher

Gene Taylor

Mark Udall

Chris Van Hollen

David Vitter

Zach Wamp

Melvin Watt

Curt Weldon

Dave Weldon

Robert Wexler

Roger Wicker

Frank Wolf

David Wu