Trump again looks to cut NASA budget by billions of dollars

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Apr 3, 2026

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Despite the wave of enthusiasm of this week’s moonshot launch of Artemis II, President Donald Trump once again wants to chop billions of dollars from the agency, including its science missions, according to documents released Friday by NASA.

Trump last year sought to reduce NASA’s budget by about $6 billion, and his proposed budget for fiscal 2027 seeks to do the same.

Congress ultimately ignored Trump’s 2026 proposal to cut funding for NASA and gave the agency close to what it has seen in previous years, or nearly $24.5 billion. It also handed more than $10 billion to NASA on top of the annual budget through Trump’s One, Big Beautiful Bill.

For 2027, the administration is seeking to drop funding to just under $18.9 billion. That includes dropping the science budget from $7.25 billion to just under $3.9 billion and space technology from $920.5 million to $624.3 million. The space operations, which includes the International Space Station, would have a tighter belt as well with a drop from nearly $4.2 billion to just over $3 billion. The administration also once again seeks to drop funding for STEM engagement to $0.

Trump’s version of NASA, though, is all in on Artemis with the “exploration” budget that would fund a return of astronauts to the moon to climb from nearly $7.8 billion to $8.5 billion.

The overall NASA budget, however, would be 23% smaller than this fiscal year’s, and funding for the “science mission directorate,” that heads up missions like the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes, would be cut nearly 50%.

The administration’s proposal prompted outcry from science organizations such as the Planetary Society that were part of a campaign last year to get Congress to push back against the president’s cuts.

“The White House’s budgeting office has put forward the same budget cuts to NASA and NASA Science that were rejected by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress last year,” reads a statement from the Planetary Society. “This proposal needlessly resurrects an existential threat to U.S. leadership in space science and exploration.”

NASA is still pursuing the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as soon as this year, preparing for the asteroid-hunting NEO Surveyor mission in 2027 and Dragonfly mission to Saturn moon’s Titan in 2028.

“This is a critical period for the U.S. space agency to execute on the ambitious plans to lead the world in science, exploration, and innovation,” the Planetary Society statement said. “The (White House Office of Management and Budget) proposal undermines those efforts by adding needless uncertainty and disruption to NASA’s workforce.”

NASA says the administration’s budget refocuses taxpayer funds on new project priorities such as Artemis.

“President Trump’s budget for NASA advances American leadership in the high ground of space,” read a statement from the agency. “It positions the United States to lead the world in space exploration by returning Americans to the moon before competitors arrive, and establishing an enduring presence to realize scientific, economic, and national security value.”

The final NASA budget, though, will once again be determined by Congress.

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