Ted Cruz, Longtime Foe Of NASA And Science, Will Oversee NASA And Science In New Congress

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/ted-cruz-nasa_n_6456270.html

The Huffington Post | By Ashley Alman
Posted: 01/12/2015 11:34 am EST

Following the ratification of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) as chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committtee last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was named chair of the Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, where he will oversee NASA and science programs.

Appointed Jan. 8, Cruz is expected to be confirmed to the new role by the end of the month as one of many changes to the new Republican-controlled Congress. But the Republican senator's words and actions during his time in office have painted him to be a far cry from an advocate for the sciences, leaving many concerned about the future of space and science funding.

Cruz's infamous hours-long speech in September 2013 led to a 16-day government shutdown barring 97 percent of NASA employees from appearing for work. Interns to the agency were temporarily displaced when the NASA-provided housing was closed during the shutdown, and many have said the agency suffered lasting damage due to the freeze.

And NASA wasn't the only agency hit by the shutdown: research programs run by the National Institute of Health suffered a blow when new clinical trials were suspended, affecting 200 new patients each week of the shutdown. Environmental Protection Agency programs were also compromised, with 90 percent of employees on furlough.

The agency has conducted research on climate change, recently kicking off five projects to study how the earth's atmosphere affects global warming.

On Monday, Cruz blamed the Obama administration for cutting funding for NASA.

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