Freezing NASA

President Obama's 2012 budget, out today, freezes NASA's budget at 2010 levels. That would be a cut of $300 million. The freeze is part of an overall freeze in discretionary federal spending. Though this budget proposal deals only with 2012, the President has made it clear he plans to maintain the freeze for five years.

Mr. Obama argues that the freeze is necessary to begin to address the yawning federal deficit and crushing federal debt. He also acknowledges that won't be enough. The President and every member of Congress understands that actually controlling deficits and working down the debt means restructuring entitlements in some way, and reforming tax policy-- perhaps raising taxes. Those efforts are still struggling to get off the ground.

NASA is in an odd position. It is between manned spaceflight programs. The Obama administration canceled Constellation, but continued to develop the Orion spacecraft. Congress has also mandated NASA build a heavy-lift launcher, so the heart of Constellation still beats, and many people in NASA and in Congress would like to go back to it. With tight budgets for years to come, clarity of purpose is essential, and it seems to be lacking.