NASA Science Faces 'Very Serious Threat' from Proposed White House Budget Cuts

Key Points

• Proposed budget cuts NASA's overall funding by 23% and science programs by nearly 50%.
• Critics call the proposal a 'sloppy' copy-paste budget with factual errors.
• Cuts threaten U.S. support for international missions like the ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover.

Full Details

The proposed White House budget for NASA's fiscal year 2027 is drawing intense criticism from space advocates and scientists, who warn it could dramatically reshape the agency. The plan calls for a 23% cut to NASA's overall budget and a nearly 50% reduction to its science programs, which experts call a 'very serious threat.' Critics, including the Planetary Society's Casey Dreier, have labeled the proposal a 'copy-paste budget' from the previous year, citing sloppy errors such as mentioning the already-canceled Mars Sample Return mission and incorrect fiscal year references for the James Webb Space Telescope. The cuts also jeopardize U.S. contributions to international projects, including the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover mission. Advocates are urging the House to develop a counter-proposal to reject what they see as destructive cuts to NASA's scientific endeavors.