If men like Bigelow succeed, then NASA can be made irrelevant. This could lead to their demise, but those senators are addicted to NASA's pork like crack cocaine.
Anyone who is interested in this subject should read "Kings of the High Frontier" by Victor Koman. It is very well written and was one of the first books that was published in cyberspace before it was published in paper. There are still a few copies out there, I'd check ABEBOOKS and Amazon to find one. I believe it won the science fiction Prometheus Award *Before being published on paper*!
I have no financial interest in Kings of the High Frontier, but it is a great book!