Cuts to NASA science budget sees bipartisan opposition

The bipartisan chairs of the congressional planetary science caucus have come out against the White House’s proposed NASA budget cuts in the first instance of across-the-aisle opposition to the plan. 

In a Tuesday statement, Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican, joined Rep. Judy Chu, California Democrat, in opposing the Trump administration’s plans to cut NASA’s science budget nearly in half. The lawmakers say the proposed cuts would severely weaken the U.S. on multiple fronts.

“NASA Science is a cornerstone of our nation’s space program, supporting thousands of jobs nationwide and driving countless scientific discoveries and technological advancements,” said a joint statement from the lawmakers. “If enacted, these proposed cuts would demolish our space economy and workforce, threaten our national security and defense capabilities, and ultimately surrender the United States’ leadership in space, science, and technological innovation to our adversaries.”

The proposed cuts were sent to NASA on April 10 in a “passback” budget document from the Office of Management and Budget. The cuts would see NASA’s science budget slashed from $7.3 billion in 2025 to $3.9 billion. The proposal also would cut NASA’s overall budget by about 20%.

The lawmakers said if enacted, the budget cuts would mean ending several crucial NASA-led missions. Specifically, the lawmakers said the cuts would end NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission and the Roman Space Telescope.

“The United States must be the first to land and return samples from Mars and return humans to the moon for the first time in more than half a century,” they wrote. “We will work closely with our colleagues in Congress on a bipartisan basis to push back against these proposed cuts and program terminations and to ensure full and robust funding for NASA Science in Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations. Together, we must maintain America’s preeminence in space.”

Rep. Chu’s district houses NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The lab is heavily involved in the Mars Sample Return project.

Rep. Bacon’s involvement could signal broader bipartisan opposition to the White House’s agenda. So far, public opposition to the proposed cuts has come from congressional Democrats, mostly concerned with the impact the cuts would have on their districts or states.

California Sen. Adam B. Schiff came out against the proposed cuts last week, calling the cancellation of NASA Science missions a “gift to China.”

Additionally, Democratic lawmakers from Maryland joined together on Monday to publicly oppose cuts to NASA. Standing outside of Greenbelt’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Reps. Glenn Ivey, Steny Hoyer and Sen. Chris Van Hollen called the proposed cuts a mistake.