It was the GOP that got it started in the 80s when inflation was a major problem and the GOP wanted NASA to spend less money.
The first study was done in 1986 under Reagan. GHW Bush campaigned on the Mission to Earth and formally proposed the mission in 1991.
Terra, the first dedicated EOS was launched in 1999.
Keep in mind, back in those days the GOP was still the party of science and the UN's Convention on Global Warming was ratified by the US in 1992.
The GOP shift against science begins when Clinton signed COP3 Kyoto. Back in those days, the GOP never claimed that COPs were treaties. But in 2015 with COP21 Paris, the GOP shifts to saying that COPs need to be ratified.
In 2005, 2006, and 2007 there was another shift. In those years there was GORE's movie, the IPCC report, and SCOTUS ruled that CO2 was a pollutant. That set of the well funded PR campaign to try to shift public opinion against global warming led by Myron Ebell and Lord Monckton, that resulted in Bon Inglis getting unelected to the House in 2011 and Mitt Romney changing his position on Global warming for campaign 2012.
The cornerstone is to try to shut down the launch of the IceSat 2 satellite scheduled for 2018.
“The GOP shift against science”
Government sponsored science. Space exploration is done best by private companies.
Going to the moon is well and good but what did the average taxpayer get out of it? It’s very hard to make the case that it wasn’t a complete waste of money.
Dem donors just burned over a billion on the Hillary campaign. They can pay for their satellites.