Cuyahoga County GOP says jobs in jeopardy at NASA Glenn, NASA denies claims

CLEVELAND - Jobs at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are being moved to other facilities. That is according to the Cuyahoga County Republican Party. The group says the moves will have devastating effects on the local economy.

A news release from the Cuyahoga County Republican Party said it confirmed through several sources “the transfer of most research and developmental activities related to manned spaceflight from Glenn Research Center to other NASA facilities.”

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, this will affect about 244 jobs.

"The information I saw featured many other layoffs at all of the other centers, and that's not good either," said former NASA administrator Michael Griffith.

NASA denied the claims.

The party said this move will not be officially announced until after this year's presidential elections.

"If the President gets reelected... he should be asked, where are you going, what do you want? And if he's not elected, it's going to be up to President Romney to lay out what is his vision, where are we going," former Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich said for future space programs.

“NASA is not transferring human spaceflight research and development activities from the Glenn Research Center. In fact, under the ambitious U.S. space exploration plan, President Obama is carrying out, funding for Glenn increases by $17 million next year," NASA Press Secretary Lauren Worley said in a statement.

"You have to look at what eventually happens... Plans are plans and intentions are intentions, but you have to see what eventually occurs," said space professor Dr. Michael Pace. "It is not simply the amount of money itself that matters, but what it's for, where's it go? Is it for this year, is it for next year?"

The Cuyahoga County Republican Party did not name its sources.

Griffith and Pace are on Mitt Romney's space policy advisory group, raising the question if their opinions are biased.

"We are both part of the Romney space advisory team. Neither of us are here in that capacity," Griffith said.