Posted: Wed, Nov 17, 2004, 9:01 PM ET (0201 GMT)
NASA will get $15.9 billion in fiscal year 2005, $300 million less than originally requested, according to a deal reportedly reached by House and Senate negotiators. Space News reported late Wednesday that Congressional negotiators, hammering out an omnibus 2005 budget bill this week, have agreed to give NASA $15.9 billion in FY2005, which started October 1. That amount is less than what President Bush requested, although significantly more than the $15.1 billion the House Appropriations Committee approved in July. Details about how that money will be distributed among NASA's programs was not released, although the article noted that exploration programs will suffer some cuts to help pay for work to return the space shuttle to flight as well as initiate a robotic repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA and many other federal agencies have been operating under a temporary "continuing resolution" that provides funding only through November 20; Congress is in a brief lame-duck session this week in an effort to complete the full FY2005 budget.

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•  Space News article (subscription required)