The White House will be asking five Democrats to lead the fight in Congress, a White House source said. They are Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, the ranking member of the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee; Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico; Sen. John D. Rockefeller of West Virginia, a member of the space committee; and Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Chet Edwards of Texas, who both sit on the House Appropriations committee.

White House Chief of Staff John Podesta said Wednesday morning he has met with the Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. Stevens' office had no comment.

Another key player may be Republican Tom DeLay of Texas, although DeLay spokeswoman Emily Miller said no one from the White House has contacted DeLay on the issue yet. As the House Minority Whip, DeLay has a powerful position in the GOP leadership, and is responsible for moving the spending bills through the House as quickly as possible. As a Republican on the House VA-HUD Appropriations subcommittee, he voted for $1.4 billion in NASA cuts.

But as a representative of Texas' 22nd district, many of his constituents work at nearby Johnson Space Center. Delay has promised, "I'm going to do everything in my power" to restore funding, Miller said. He will not lobby for NASA on the floor, Miller said, but will save his efforts for the conference committee.

NASA's best chances lie in the conference between the House and Senate because under House rules, no money can be added to the spending bill once it reaches the floor. Any addition to NASA's budget must come at the expense of another program covered by the bill, a transaction few lawmakers are willing to make. The Senate has not yet drafted their version of the spending bill, and if it does not include the cut in NASA, the difference will be hashed out by the few members from each chamber selected as conferees.

DeLay will serve on the conference committee at his request, Miller said. Rep. James Walsh, the subcommittee chair and author of the cuts, "assured [DeLay] that everything would be okay," in regards to NASA funding by the time the bill leaves conference, she said.

"As a member of the subcommittee, as the majority whip, and as a member of the conference committee, I can assure you that when the House and Senate come together to negotiate, NASA will be fine," DeLay told a group of constituents in Clear Lake, Texas last week.

Although it is too late to make big changes to the House spending bill, Hoyer plans on speaking "extensively" on the subject when the bill hits the floor, and has been in regular contact with the White House, spokeswoman Debra DeShong said. Hoyer's district includes NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

"We are in close contact with the White House, [Hoyer personally] is in close contact with the White House, and White House staff are in close contact with our staff," she said. "The congressman is very adamant that in this time of economic prosperity and surplus, cuts should not be made in areas of science and technology."

Podesta and budget director Jack Lew, both high-level aides who work directly with the president, along with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, have been talking with House Democrats, a congressional source said. Lew is scheduled to meet with pro-NASA Democrats sometime next week.