Trump’s Proposed NASA Budget Cuts Spark Outrage Among Scientists and Lawmakers

Days after NASA’s historic Artemis II mission, which saw four astronauts splash down in the Pacific Ocean, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its proposed 2027 budget for the space agency. The request includes a 23% overall reduction to NASA’s budget, with a 47% cut to its science budget—a proposal that has drawn sharp criticism from scientists and lawmakers alike.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted NASA’s funding. In 2026, a similarly drastic budget cut was proposed, but Congress rejected it outright. Now, the administration is attempting to slash NASA’s science budget again, prompting the Planetary Society to revive its “Save NASA Science” campaign.

The nonprofit, cofounded by astronomer Carl Sagan and currently led by science communicator Bill Nye, warns that the proposed cuts could lead to:

• 53 science missions terminated, nearly half of NASA’s entire science fleet;
• Thousands of job losses;
• Billions of dollars in wasted taxpayer investments;
• More than a dozen international partnerships broken.

“This is an extinction-level event for space science,” the Planetary Society stated, echoing its response to last year’s budget proposal.

The organization also highlighted 84 NASA missions at risk if the budget passes, including spacecraft destined for Pluto, Jupiter, and Venus, as well as a future Mars rover.

However, the administration’s proposal is facing strong opposition. On Thursday, the Republican-led House commerce, justice, and science subcommittee advanced its own budget proposal of $24.4 billion—a slight decrease from last year’s $24.8 billion but far less severe than the OMB’s request. Even so, the House proposal would still reduce NASA’s science budget from $7.3 billion to $6 billion, leaving the agency’s science portfolio vulnerable.

During a Senate hearing last week, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the proposed cuts, arguing that the agency could achieve more with less funding, particularly through its Artemis program. Lawmakers, however, remained unconvinced.

“Everyone in this room knows that without space science, there is no space exploration,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), as quoted by The Guardian. “Without space science, there is no new planetary discovery. Without space science, there is no NASA.”

The pushback mirrors last year’s response to the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal, which was widely rejected. Bill Nye told The Guardian that the 2027 budget is “dead on arrival,” calling it not just inefficient but a “waste of time.”