Space Station Freedom Appropriations

Members of the House of Representatives debated an amendment to H.R. 2519, the $81.2 billion HUD, Veterans Affairs and Independent Agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 1992. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Jim Chapman and Rep. Bill Lowery, would reauthorize nearly $2 billion to the Space Station Freedom program. The House Science, Space and Technology originally authorized the full amount requested by the administration for the space station project, approximately $3 billion for fiscal year 1992, which was subsequently approved by the House. The House Appropriations committee, however, cut the funding for the program from $3 billion to $100 million, effectively canceling the project. Opponents of the space station program cite the high costs of the program and the questionable scientific benefit to be obtained from the project, already reduced in scope due to budget limitations. Supporters of the project claim the technological advancements resulting from the program will rep close