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CAGW President Speaks at Press Conference on Competitive Spaceflight

Dépèche transmise le 8 février 2011 par Business Wire

CAGW President Speaks at Press Conference on Competitive Spaceflight

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) President Tom Schatz will speak on Capitol Hill this morning about the importance of increasing private sector participation in space exploration while reducing the government’s role. Schatz will deliver his remarks at a press conference featuring members of the Competitive Space Task Force, a coalition of organizations seeking a free and competitive market for spaceflight and space services, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute, TechFreedom, Institute for Liberty, Reason Foundation, The Atlas Society, and the Space Frontier Foundation.

“At CAGW we believe taxpayers spend money more effectively than government bureaucrats. As a result, getting the government out of space exploration is one of our top priorities. It is gratifying to have a chance to work toward that goal alongside such an impressive alliance of like-minded groups”

CAGW, America’s premier taxpayer watchdog group, has supported the elimination of wasteful space programs in favor of increased reliance on the private sector since its inception in 1984. Its annual Prime Cuts database, which has been published annually since 1993, features 763 recommendations that would save taxpayers $350 billion in one year and $2.2 trillion over five years. Among the space-related proposals are the cancellation of NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, abandoning the Moon/Mars Initiative, ending U.S. involvement with the International Space Station, and hiring private firms for communications with government spacecraft.

“NASA has been more willing to pay $55.8 million per passenger for the Russians to ferry American astronauts back and forth to space than it has been to rely on an American private sector that is willing, able, and eager to provide the same service at a fraction of the cost,” said Schatz. “As the nation marks President Reagan’s 100^th birthday this week, it is relevant to note that the Grace Commission, which was established by President Reagan and led directly to the founding of CAGW, called for privatization of the Space Shuttle in its final 1984 report. With the nation facing a record budget deficit of $1.5 trillion and a fast-growing $14.3 trillion national debt, it is critical to adopt all cost-saving recommendations for space exploration.”

In May 2010, CAGW called for NASA to cut its losses and terminate the wasteful and ineffective Constellation human spaceflight program, predicted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to cost taxpayers $230 billion upon completion. That same month, CAGW released an issue brief highlighting the many performance shortcomings and budgetary overages of Constellation.

“At CAGW we believe taxpayers spend money more effectively than government bureaucrats. As a result, getting the government out of space exploration is one of our top priorities. It is gratifying to have a chance to work toward that goal alongside such an impressive alliance of like-minded groups,” Schatz concluded.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.