House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is considering placing HR5781, a NASA reauth bill that awards billions to traditional defense-industry corporations, on the House floor for a vote on Friday. If enacted, HR5781 would guarantee the US has no manned rocket capability for years. Meanwhile, we will pay Russia billions for rides into orbit. Cheaper and better domestic alternatives exist that will sustain and expand thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs right here in the US, and save taxpayers truckloads of money in the bargain. Make no mistake, the corporate inertia behind HR5781 is huge. But because the bill's consideration has been moved up unexpectedly, the defense industry lobbyists will have no time to deploy. That means people power can put this lousy bill out of its misery and give Obama's vision for deep manned space exploration a fighting chance.
Join dozens of Nobel Laureates and NASA astronauts. Call your Representative (Contact info here) today and tell them that you oppose HR5781, and ask your Representative to tell Majority Leader Hoyer not to bring this bill up for a vote. Or call the House switchboard to reach any office at 202-224-3121.
Don't forget the three P's of activism: Passion, Polite, and Persistence.