▁charge ▁of ▁it . ▁ ▁Congress ▁officially ▁cancel led ▁the ▁project ▁October ▁ 2 1 , ▁ 1 9 9 3 ▁after ▁$ 2 ▁billion ▁had ▁been ▁spent . ▁ ▁Many ▁factors ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁can cellation : ▁rising ▁cost ▁estimates ▁( to ▁$ 1 2 bn ); ▁poor ▁management ▁by ▁phys ic ists ▁and ▁Department ▁of ▁Energy ▁officials ; ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁need ▁to ▁prove ▁the ▁supre m acy ▁of ▁American ▁science ▁with ▁the ▁collapse ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ; ▁belief ▁that ▁many ▁smaller ▁scientific ▁experiments ▁of ▁equal ▁mer it ▁could ▁be ▁fund ed ▁for ▁the ▁same ▁cost ; ▁Congress ' s ▁desire ▁to ▁generally ▁reduce ▁sp ending ▁( the ▁United ▁States ▁was ▁running ▁a ▁$ 2 5 5 bn ▁budget ▁def ic it ); ▁the ▁rel uct ance ▁of ▁Texas ▁Governor ▁Ann ▁Rich ards ; ▁and ▁President ▁Bill ▁Cl inton ' s ▁initial ▁lack ▁of ▁support ▁for ▁a ▁project ▁begun ▁during ▁the ▁administr ations ▁of ▁Rich ards ' s ▁prede cess or , ▁Bill ▁Clement s , ▁and ▁Cl inton ' s ▁prede cess ors , ▁Ron ald ▁Re agan ▁and ▁George ▁H . ▁W . ▁Bush . ▁ ▁The ▁project ' s ▁can cellation ▁was ▁also ▁e ased ▁by ▁opposition ▁from ▁within ▁the ▁scientific ▁community . ▁Prom inent ▁cond ensed ▁matter ▁phys ic ists , ▁such ▁as ▁Philip ▁W . ▁Anderson ▁and ▁Nicola as ▁Blo ember gen , ▁test ified ▁before ▁Congress ▁oppos ing ▁the ▁project . ▁They ▁argued ▁that , ▁although ▁the ▁SS C ▁would ▁certainly ▁conduct ▁high