House Subcommittee Rejects Trump’s NASA Cuts, Moves Forward with $24.4 B Plan

*TL;DR: The House commerce, justice and science subcommittee advanced a $24.4 billion NASA budget, rejecting the White House’s plan to cut the agency’s overall budget by 23% and its science budget by 47%.

The White House Office of Management and Budget released a 2027 budget request that would reduce NASA’s total funding by $5.7 billion, a 23% drop from the current level. The same proposal would slash the science division from $7.3 billion to about $3.9 billion, a 47% reduction.

The Planetary Society, a nonprofit founded by Carl Sagan and now led by Bill Nye, warned that such cuts would end more than 53 science missions—roughly half of NASA’s existing science fleet. The group warned of thousands of job losses, wasted taxpayer dollars, and the loss of over a dozen international partnerships.

On Thursday, the Republican‑led House subcommittee advanced its own budget request of $24.4 billion for NASA. That figure is only $0.4 billion below the agency’s FY 2026 appropriation of $24.8 billion, representing a modest overall decline.

Even the subcommittee’s proposal trims the science budget to $6 billion, still a $1.3 billion cut from the current level. Lawmakers argue the reduction is necessary to fund the Artemis lunar program while preserving core capabilities.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the White House’s cuts in a Senate hearing, claiming the agency can achieve more with less by leveraging Artemis. Senators pushed back, with Democrat Chris Van Hollen emphasizing that space science underpins all exploration.

The clash mirrors last year’s budget fight, when Congress rejected a similar Trump‑era proposal. Bill Nye called the 2027 request “an extinction‑level event for space science,” echoing criticism that the plan would waste existing investments.

If the subcommittee’s $24.4 billion budget passes, NASA will still face a tighter science portfolio, potentially delaying or canceling missions to Pluto, Jupiter, Venus and a future Mars rover. The agency’s ability to maintain international collaborations could also be compromised.

Watch for the full House Commerce, Justice and Science Committee vote and the administration’s response, which will shape NASA’s funding outlook for the next decade.