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Congressional Leaders Voice Concerns Over Proposed NASA Science Budget Reductions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan leaders from a congressional caucus have expressed strong disapproval of potential reductions to NASA’s science initiatives. This marks the first instance of Republican opposition within Congress to the suggested fiscal adjustments to the space agency’s scientific endeavors.
Bipartisan Disagreement on Budgetary Priorities
In a statement released on April 15, Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), co-chairs of the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus, conveyed their “extreme alarm” regarding reports indicating a near halving of NASA’s science budget in the draft fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
“If implemented, these projected cuts would devastate our space sector economy and skilled workforce, jeopardize our national security and defense capabilities, and ultimately relinquish the United States’ prominent role in space, scientific discovery, and technological progress to our global competitors,” the representatives asserted. “We are committed to collaborating with our congressional colleagues across party lines to challenge these planned reductions and program terminations. Our aim is to secure robust financial support for NASA Science within the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process.”
Details of Proposed Budgetary Adjustments
The “passback” budget document, recently transmitted from the Office of Management and Budget to NASA, outlines a proposed science expenditure of just $3.9 billion for NASA in 2026. This represents a significant decrease from the $7.3 billion allocated in 2025. The proposed budget could lead to the cancellation of several missions currently under development, including the Roman Space Telescope and the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. Numerous other programs in early planning phases or in extended operational phases could also face uncertainty.
Republican Opposition Emerges
While previous criticism of the proposed budget adjustments has surfaced from other members of Congress, this recent statement gains significance as Representative Bacon becomes one of the first Republicans in Congress to publicly question the proposed cuts. Prior expressions of concern have primarily originated from Democratic members representing California and Maryland, states that house NASA centers potentially heavily impacted by the budgetary revisions.
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Congressional Planetary Science Caucus Advocacy
Representatives Bacon and Chu re-established the caucus just over a year ago with the explicit objective of informing other members about the advantages of funding planetary science and related scientific exploration. This includes research areas such as exoplanet studies and the search for extraterrestrial life. Representative Bacon, whose Nebraska district has limited direct ties to this type of research, stated at the time that his interest stemmed from “prioritizing exploration.”
Conversely, Representative Chu’s California district encompasses the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She has been a vocal champion for JPL and the Mars Sample Return mission, a crucial JPL program, particularly in light of funding challenges that led to layoffs at JPL the previous year amidst program reviews and restructuring efforts.
Concerns Regarding Mars Sample Return Mission
“I am deeply concerned by reports indicating the current administration intends to completely defund the Mars Sample Return mission,” stated Representative Chu on April 14, in response to initial reports regarding cuts in the budget passback. “Eliminating funding at this stage would entirely undermine decades of investments already committed to our Mars exploration program. It would also devastate our nation’s Mars research workforce at JPL and across the country, and jeopardize years of potential future scientific breakthroughs and innovation.”
Mars Sample Return Mission Under Prior Scrutiny
It’s important to note that the Mars Sample Return mission had been subject to examination prior to the budget passback due to escalating costs and schedule delays. These issues prompted NASA to conduct program reviews in the previous year. In January, NASA announced evaluations of two alternative strategies to execute the Mars Sample Return more cost-effectively. The aim was to reduce the mission’s overall cost, which had risen to as much as $11 billion, down to a potential $5.8 billion.
Future Plans and Potential Revisions
These evaluation efforts are expected to continue into the following year, focusing on refining elements of the program, such as a redesigned Mars Ascent Vehicle rocket, to pass a preliminary design review (PDR). “Our current plan emphasizes the necessity of maturing these designs to the PDR level, an anticipated process of approximately one to one and a half years,” explained Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, Mars Sample Return program director at NASA, during a March 31 meeting of the National Academies’ Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science.
However, Ms. Douglas-Bradshaw acknowledged that these plans, announced by NASA shortly before the new presidential administration commenced, remain subject to potential alterations. “There is a possibility that the new administration may have different perspectives or ideas regarding the architecture options currently under consideration.”