Goddard Space Flight Center, which as the managing site for the Triana satellite and the Pathfinder-class probes would be one of the most severely hit centers, is one of the biggest employers in Maryland's Prince George's county.
"I think it would be a severe impact to us," said Bonnie Beck, Executive Vice President for the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce. "We have a number of contractors to Goddard." The county has at least 900 high-tech firms, she said, the second-largest concentration in the state. The chamber was part of a grass-roots effort led by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to oppose cuts at Goddard several years ago, Beck said, and would do it again if more cuts loomed.
"We'd send information to our members and ask them to contact their congressmen." Hoyer blasted the cuts and vowed to do "everything possible to see that funding is restored for Goddard" in a prepared statement. He said the GOP plan would cut $428 million from the center.
Glenn Research Center in Ohio, which specializes in aerospace technology, may also lose programs or staff if NASA's budget is cut. "It is hard to predict what will happen, but one thing that is certain is that NASA is a powerful element of the Ohio economy," said Council member Christopher Coburn, Vice President of the non-profit research and development group, the Battelle Institute.
"These large public research institutions have been shown repeatedly to be keys to regional economic growth," Coburn said. "At Glenn, we're talking 3,000 direct technological jobs" and twice that in indirectly provided jobs.
"In addition, it creates a pool of technical staff in the region that you wouldn't have otherwise," he said. Community leaders in Mountainview, Calif., home of the Ames Research Center, did not have a formal comment on the issue available, a chamber of commerce spokeswoman said, but acknowledged that they were concerned and were moving quickly to decide upon a response.
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