"Their claims that NASA will have to close centers and initiate layoffs in response to the FY00 VA/HUD/Independent Agencies are disingenuous at best and purposely inflammatory at worst," Sensenbrenner said. "These are scare tactics, pure and simple, and should be rejected as such."

"Three years ago, $11.6 billion was good enough for the Vice President and music to Dan Goldin's ears. Now, $12.3 billion is a 'disaster'," Sensenbrenner said, responding to the NASA Administrator's warnings that "layoffs will be very, very significant."

Sensenbrenner pointed to a 1996 statement from Goldin that despite that years budget cuts to $13.8 billion for FY1997 signified the President's "strong commitment to the research and development that's so crucial to America."

"What's best for NASA is everyone calmly taking another look at the budget and working the democratic process to make space a higher priority," Sensenbrenner said in a statement.

"Playing politics with our nation's space program and threatening NASA employees' jobs is an ugly scare tactic. I recall 600 Kennedy Space Center jobs being lost at the same time NASA was moving forward with Vice President Gore's pet satellite project dreamed up in the middle of the night," he said.

"I'm disappointed too in NASA's portion of the funding pie as it now stands. For the last five years, we've resisted continual budget cuts from the Clinton-Gore Administration and Congress has added money above the Administration's request each of the last two years. Regardless, I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress from both sides of the aisle to ensure that our civil space program stays on a positive track," Sensenbrenner said.