NASA science budget might recover as lawmakers revisit Trump cuts
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Almost $10 billion was added to the budget bill signed by Trump on July 4. Photo: Loren Elliot/AFP via Getty Images
Billions for NASA programs, including key programs for the Marshall Space Flight Center, were included in President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," but the fate of millions in science funding is still being decided.
Why it matters: Current funding proposals will severely cut NASA science spending, which provides $580 million in annual funding awards locally, driving as much as $1.6 billion in economic activity every year.
- The federal budget for fiscal year 2026 cuts NASA science spending by 47%. But those cuts could be restored as the appropriations process advances.
State of play: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, of which Rep. Dale Strong is vice chair, is set to meet Tuesday to consider NASA and NOAA funding.
- The bill, which failed to advance out of the Senate's counterpart committee, includes language that keeps NASA science funding intact, Space Policy Online reports.
What they're saying: When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Strong, whose district includes Huntsville, reiterated his support for OBBB.
- "Just last week," the statement to Axios said July 10, "the Congressman voted to secure a significant investment in NASA, which includes over $4.2 billion to support the work done right here in North Alabama. This funding is a clear indicator that Republicans in Congress and President Trump understand the value and capabilities that we have here in North Alabama."
- "As the House works toward FY26 funding bills, North Alabama has a seat at the table with the Congressman serving as Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee."
How it works: Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at pro-space nonprofit The Planetary Society, explains that the nearly $10 billion added to the "big, beautiful bill" is separate from the normal appropriations process.
- That funding is essentially a pot of money NASA can dip into over the next seven years, Dreier tells Axios, while appropriations bills moving through committee are closer to the normal process to set NASA's budget.
Zoom in: Dreier tells Axios the OBBB cuts "would immediately end a third of all NASA science projects."
- "Twenty missions in space now would just be switched off," he said.
- The cuts would cancel about a dozen projects for the next generation and pull the U.S. out of 10 joint projects with European and Japanese allies, he said. It would also result in "huge reductions in research funding."
- The latest developments, Dreier said, underscore the importance of keeping NASA's funding intact. "This is not a partisan issue."