This. It's why I just can't get excited about NASA's manned spaceflight plans anymore. In 2004 there was a vision set out to go places, but Congress didn't really fund it, and then the new administration took the lackluster progress (due in no small part to lackluster funding, mind you) along with "not invented here" and gave it the kibosh.

So long as manned exploration is subject to the whims of whatever Congresscritter happens to come into power, as well as their feelings toward their counterparts, their predecessors, the Executive branch, etc ... well, I don't expect consistent achievements.

Ugh. Too many politicians simply view NASA as another way of getting pork, boondoggles, etc and "delivering money" back to their own district.

Instead, I'm hopeful for imaginative uber-rich people (Musk, Allen, Bezos, Bigelow, etc). Not all of their ideas will work, and that's fine ... so long as there's a critical mass of them at least trying something.

NASA used to be a reason I didn't mind paying high taxes. Now, I feel different.