This in from Lee Roop of The Huntsville Times, NASA didn’t break the law, but did it break its promise to contractors?
“Government investigators say NASA did not break the law when it held back millions in funding from the Constellation rocket program this summer, resulting in 500 layoffs in Huntsville and hundreds more nationwide.
However, the General Accountability Office said late last week that it would ‘take no position’ on whether, in holding back the funds, NASA broke a promise to its prime contractors to reimburse all of their costs for the controversial rocket program.'”
Dear Administrator Bolden:
Your agency-wide message to all NASA employees on Wednesday, July 28 appeared, in part, to be a response to the first “Open Letter” sent to you on Tuesday, July 27, calling for you to remove your Deputy, Lori Garver.
Rather than “celebrating your first anniversary at NASA with Lori”, you should be moving swiftly to replace her with someone who can help you implement the plan Congress is in the process of providing you.
Yes, the NASA family, Government and Contractor alike, have achieved many successes this past year, but this is in spite of Ms. Garver, not because of her. The NASA family is hurting because of the ill-conceived plan developed by Ms. Garver, Jim Kohlenberger of OSTP, Paul Shawcross of OMB, and Beth Robinson, NASA’s CFO. Congress knows it, you know it, and it’s time to act.
To simply restate the main message of the first “Open Letter” to you, it’s time to reset relations with Congress and the best way to do this is a clean sweep of Ms. Garver and company and replace them with competent managers who will not embarrass you, the President, or Congress.
Sincerely,
Concerned for NASA
cc:
Congressional Space Leadership
President Obama
All NASA Center Directors
OMB Director
OSTP Director