U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos said a federal shutdown[1] hasn’t impacted the timeline for major NASA[2] missions to date. But he worries the longer workers go without pay, the more the U.S. could be slowed down in the modern space race.
The Indian Harbour Beach Republican told Florida Politics he feels confident efforts like the current moon mission remain on track.
“The good news is that Artemis II[3] is still on track and people are still working on these programs,” Haridopolos said. “Unfortunately, I think some of the other issues that might come up along the line could be delayed.”
Haridopolos said NASA, like many federal agencies, has seen many workers decline to come into work without a paycheck. Oct. 24 marked the first day[4] workers missed out on an entire pay period.
“The practical matter is, when you shut down the government, you’re having a lot of people stay home,” Haridopolos said. “Now, fortunately, these people, in their case, will be paid despite not working. But you’re still running into just a challenge. Every time you have to stop and start, we all know in any business, you’re going to run into problems.”
He noted that in recent years, NASA has had to work with Russia[5], once its chief rival in establishing a space program, in sending astronauts to and and retrieving them from the International Space Station. That came as NASA wound down the shuttle program, its primary manned spaceflight program from 1981[6] to 2011[7].
The Congressman expressed hope that most NASA workers will stay on the job even as Congress remains at a stalemate on a budget resolution.
“If we’re going to win this space race, we need all hands on deck, especially since they’re going to be paid one way or another, even if it’s a delayed payment,” he said.
Haridopolos noted that private contractors are involved in the Artemis II mission, which helps preserve the timetable at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA has said workers on Artemis missions working with SpaceX and Blue Origin, private space companies, must continue work[8] through the shutdown, as reported by CNBC.
“There are different companies working to make sure the Artemis two project is on track, and we’re pretty optimistic, now that it’s fully staffed, that it is a go for February,” he said.
On the negotiation front, Haridopolos said Senate Democrats need to vote to reopen the government. He noted the House already approved a budget resolution.
“Many days ago, we voted to keep the government open without help from the Democrats,” the House Republican said.
Senate Democrats have demanded Congress address subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of 2025 without action. But Haridopolos said rising insurance costs are a sign that the subsidies were a bad idea from the start.
“At this point, I could not just rubber stamp the current program,” he said. “I want to look at reforms before we even think about allocating a lot more money.”
References
- ^ federal shutdown (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ NASA (www.nasa.gov)
- ^ Artemis II (www.nasa.gov)
- ^ the first day (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ work with Russia (www.space.com)
- ^ 1981 (www.nasa.gov)
- ^ 2011 (www.nasa.gov)
- ^ must continue work (www.cnbc.com)