WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today called on President Bush to convene a bipartisan, bicameral space summit with the White House to address the future of America’s space program and the challenges it faces. Senator Mikulski is Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NASA.

“There is no more visible sign of American global leadership than our space program. To lose that position to other countries would be a tragedy,” said Senator Mikulski. “We need a new dialogue with the President and his administration. We need a national commitment to our space program to put it on a path for success. Only through the active cooperation of the White House and the Congress, can we have a healthy, robust and balanced space program.”

Senator Mikulski led a bipartisan group of her Senate and House of Representatives colleagues in sending a letter to the President today, calling for the summit. Senators signing the letter were: CJS Ranking Member Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) and Science and Space Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee Chairman Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas). Thirteen members of the House also joined the letter, including Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science Chairman Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.).

Seventeen years ago, then-President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle held a similar meeting, which paved the way for the creation of the Mission to Planet Earth.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you as members of Congress with an abiding interest in our country’s space program. With the United States on the verge of going back to the Moon to fulfill your vision for space exploration, we feel it is imperative that we meet with you to discuss the future of our space program and the strategic challenges we face as a nation in space.

We believe that a balanced, robust space program is in the national interest of the United States. However, we are concerned that America’s leadership in space could be threatened by a lack of resources devoted to our space program. With the emergence of China, Iran and other nations who aspire to their own national space programs, we feel it is necessary to re-evaluate the needs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to ensure that we do not lose our global leadership in space exploration and science.

We welcome the opportunity to share our views with you and to discuss our mutual interest in the long term viability of our space program. We look forward to meeting with you at the earliest opportunity.