Space Station Hurt in Early Budget Fight : Politics: Democrats withdraw support for funding through 2002. The project means 1,000 jobs in Orange County.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s space station, which supports more than 1,000 jobs in Orange County, was wounded on Friday in an early congressional budget battle when Democrats withdrew support for a bill to authorize all funds needed to complete the station by 2002.

The cancellation of the funding plan leaves backers of the space station, which has survived several near-death experiences in past budget fights, again scrambling to survive in the annual budgeting process.

During last year’s budget discussions, the space station--the nation’s premier science project that includes a cooperative agreement with Russia--was estimated to cost $17.4 billion, in addition to the $11 billion already spent.

Political gamesmanship over the space station is the result of the Republicans threatening to apply an even sharper knife to federal spending.

Congressional staffers on both sides of the aisle said Democrats want to send a message that if Republicans are serious about their proposed cuts, then no project, not even the station, deserves preferential treatment.

Ultimately, however, the space station should receive its annual funding totaling $2.1 billion, predicted a spokesman for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), a member of the House Science Committee. The project is too far down the road to justify cancellation, the staffer said.

“We had hoped this (canceled bill) would bring a multiyear stability to the program,” said Jim Muncy, Rohrabacher’s legislative assistant on science issues. “We are probably going to have to spend more time dealing with the space station every year now. It’s going to have to be protected on a more aggressive, tactical basis,”

The station accounts for more than 1,000 county jobs at McDonnell-Douglas and small companies.

Republican strategy to authorize $13.2 billion through 2002 for the station was canceled by Science Committee Chairman Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.) after he was put on notice by the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. George E. Brown Jr. (D-Colton), that the bill might not be supported by his party members.

In a statement, Walker and F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), the space subcommittee chairman, said they did not want to proceed on full funding for the station without bipartisan support.

“I had looked forward to continuing the bipartisan spirit this committee has demonstrated toward science and space policy--notably throughout George Brown’s tenure as chairman,” Walker said in the statement. “It is ironic that key Democrats on the Science Committee have chosen to back off on the President’s highest space priority as a political issue. If an international priority such as the space station falls victim to politics, it will be a great tragedy.”

In response, Brown said the Republican budget plan unveiled this week violated an earlier agreement he and Walker had reached, to support a NASA budget which “kept pace with inflation” over the next five years. Instead of keeping up with inflation, the Republicans’ plan cuts over $15 billion, Brown said in a statement.

“I remain a strong supporter of (the space) station and a balanced NASA program,” Brown said. “But in light of the Republican budgetary plan for NASA, I do not believe that, at this point, there will be strong bipartisan support for a station-only authorization bill.”

Muncy, Rohrabacher’s aide, said that despite this early budget skirmish, the congressman still expects Brown to support annual funding for the station.

“We don’t have any concerns,” Muncy said. “Mr. Brown is a strong supporter of the space station.”