Trump Proposes Cutting NASA Science Funding by 47% Again

Key Points

• NASA Science Mission Directorate would be cut from $7.25B to $3.9B (47% reduction)
• Overall NASA funding would be reduced by 23%
• This would be the largest single-year cut to NASA science ever
• Proposal follows successful Artemis 2 launch on April 1

Full Details

The Planetary Society, the world's largest independent space interest organization, issued a strong statement opposing the proposed cuts. The budget would reduce NASA's Science Mission Directorate from $7.25 billion to $3.9 billion — a 47% drop that advocates say would be the largest single-year cut to science funding in the agency's history. This proposal comes on the heels of NASA's successful launch of Artemis 2 on April 1, marking the agency's first astronaut mission toward the moon since 1972. The timing has drawn criticism from the space community, as the mission represents a major milestone in returning humans to lunar space while facing potential devastating budget cuts. Historically, NASA's budget has fluctuated, but the scale of the proposed science cuts stands out as unprecedented.