Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon

Mixed messages Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon Congress will likely reject the White House's NASA cuts, just as it did last year. 222 The exhaust plume from the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission was seen by astronaut Chris Williams onboard the International

Space·April 5, 2026·3 min read

The Lead

Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon. Mixed messages Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon Congress will likely reject the White House's NASA cuts, just as it did last year. 222 The exhaust plume from the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission was seen by astronaut Chris Williams onboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams The exhaust plume from the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission was seen by astronaut Chris Williams onboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more.

Key Details

Both houses of Congress must pass their own appropriations bills, reconcile any differences between the two, and then send the final budget to the White House for President Trump’s signature. Fiscal year 2027 begins on October 1. The White House requested a similar cut to NASA last year. The Republican-led Congress resoundingly rejected the proposal and kept NASA’s budget close to its level in the final year of the Biden administration. Like last year’s budget, the proposal from the Trump.

Context

The requested cuts will put NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who last week unveiled an ambitious vision for the space agency, in the position of publicly defending the Trump administration’s budget proposal. In a statement accompanying the budget , Isaacman wrote the proposal emphasizes “sustaining American leadership in deep space exploration, strengthening the nation’s industrial base, and accelerating technological innovations that benefit the American people.” NASA’s Artemis program would receive $8.5 billion in 2027, with money directed toward commercial lunar landers,.

What's Next

The Trump administration proposes reducing science funding by nearly half, a $3.4 billion reduction compared to fiscal year 2026. The budget would cancel more than 40 “low-priority missions.” The budget overview released by the White House on Friday does not identify which missions would be terminated, other than Mars Sample Return, which was already effectively canceled last year due to cost overruns. The White House asked for a cut to NASA’s science budget of a similar magnitude for fiscal year.