Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
I think the basis most clearly articulated by our ranking member, who pointed out that by operation of the first half of the amendment NASA is precluded from going over the cap and by operation of the second portion of the amendment NASA is precluded from deferring or delaying enhancements that would, in effect, force it to exceed the cap. It is unfortunately a Catch-22 that takes away the flexibility that NASA needs to sustain this program.
The Space Station holds out great promise in terms of science, the advancement of science and the development of commerce. I urge my colleagues to reject this Catch-22 amendment.