53

That's how many amendments the house considered in the Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill debate on the floor yesterday evening. It took A LONG time for the house to vote out their first of 12 approp bills the leadership wants to adopt before the end of July.

Okay, for you political junkies, watch what the house leadership does next regarding future debates on appropriation bills. Traditionally, approp bills are debated with a fairly "open rule" meaning amendments are allowed with some debate. So with the marathon, contentious session last night, we'll see if this will be allowed in the next round. It was a VERY acrimonious fight between the aisles.


The final score was 259 to 157.

So what passed? Similar to the blog entry below, but just a recap....

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: $18.2 billion total budget, $483 million below the President’s request and $421 million above 2009 levels. NASA Science – $4.5 billion, NASA Aeronautics - $500 million.



• National Science Foundation: $6.9 billion overall, $108 million below the President’s request and $446 million above 2009 levels.



• National Institutes of Standards and Technology: Manufacturing Extension Partnerships Program - $125 million, matching the President’s request and $15 million over 2009; Technology Innovation Program - $70 million, matching the President’s request, and $5 million over 2009 levels.



• National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration: $4.6 billion total budget, $238 million above the current level and $129 million above the President’s request