Here’s What’s Happening
At the end of last week, the Trump administration released a newly proposed budget, which includes egregious and severe cuts to NASA’s funding. These cuts are specifically focused on the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the branch of NASA which enables planetary science, Earth science, and astrophysics research. Overall, these cuts would reduce the SMD budget by ~50%, and—most importantly for Astrobites readers—would absolutely eviscerate the astrophysics department at NASA, cutting the budget by ~67%. If these cuts are passed, NASA will be forced to cancel the Roman Space Telescope, which has been in development for 15 years, is fully constructed, and is set to be launched next year. In addition, the Goddard Space Flight Center will likely be closed. This center employs 10,000+ people and was the birthplace of the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope, and continues to be an important site for cutting edge space technology construction. Rumors about such devastating cuts were circling amongst astronomers for weeks, and now our worst fears have come true. NASA is reaching the end of a 72-hour period to respond to the proposed budget and appeal for changes, and in a month or two, the White House will release their official budget request. It’s worth noting that the President’s budget does not allocate funding, as that power lies with Congress, who actually creates the budget. However, the White House dictates much of that debate, and the President must ultimately sign the final budget. Congress has defended NASA in the past, and has until October 1st to get a proposal passed and signed by the President. However, astrophysicists are extremely concerned as similarly ridiculous attacks on science have historically needed to be fought tooth and nail by states, scientific advocacy groups, and individuals. At present, it remains unclear whether Congress will successfully block this initiative.
Here’s Why It Needs to be Stopped
Budget cuts this extreme pose both a literal and existential threat to our country. Not only will these proposed cuts decimate astronomy in the US and the rest of the world, they’re egregiously wasteful. Billions have already been spent on the Roman Space Telescope and these cuts would mean the already built instrument would never launch. In the context of the federal budget as whole, the savings are minimal. NASA’s 2024 budget was only 0.36% of all federal spending, and only about a third of that went to the SMD. Additionally, NASA is not a black hole that money simply gets tossed into, never to be seen again. In 2023, the agency generated more than seventy-five billion dollars in economic output. This includes supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, aiding in technology development, and extensive outreach programs. Every single state, plus D.C., benefits economically from NASA. The numbers don’t lie; these extreme cuts are simply not designed to minimize waste, improve efficiency, or help the economy. They are a direct attack on American science.
Not only does this proposal fail in its supposed goals, but, if passed, it would be absolutely disastrous for the field, with particularly severe consequences for early-career researchers who rely on NASA grants for their salaries. Research grants awarded by agencies like NASA and the NSF not only provide resources and materials for labs, but—most essentially—they pay the salaries of graduate student researchers and postdocs. These cuts would severely reduce the opportunities for people to begin a career in research, and make an already very competitive field nearly impossible to get a foothold in. This means a significant fraction of brilliant scientists will be pushed out of the field, or, at the very least, leave the US in search of other opportunities. The first stages of brain drain are already happening, with a growing number of US scientists expressing interest in leaving the country, and we’re already seeing other countries trying to recruit US talent. While the US is currently a leader in space research, these cuts would very quickly give up our global position as a scientific powerhouse.
Of course, cutting NASA science would impact everyone, not just those of us in the field. Astrobites readers are most familiar with the incredible astrophysics research that’s supported by NASA (and seriously, so much of it is, just skim through the acknowledgements sections of the papers we cover, you will see NASA grants everywhere). The astrophysical research supported by NASA helps us understand our place in the universe, answering the fundamental questions surrounding our existence: how does the universe work, how did we get here, and are we alone? Additionally, NASA’s SMD includes much more than just space research, and has concrete benefits for all of humanity. NASA plays a huge role in climate change research, looking at sea level rise, temperature fluctuations, extreme weather events, and more. NASA science also helps protect us from asteroids, monitors water supplies, can aid natural disaster response, helps with farming technology development, and maps natural resources, to give a handful of examples, and all of these are just from the last couple of months! Look at Figure 1 showing NASA’s science fleet: so many missions aren’t looking out at the Universe, but rather down at our own very fragile planet. This crucial research is just as much under threat as the astronomy work we know and love. Heliophysics research faces a nearly 50% cut, and Earth science would be cut by more than half. Not to mention the impact these cuts would have on the public outreach programs supported by NASA grants, which produce more engagement with science across the board, leads to a greater interest in science and technology amongst children, and often acts as a gateway into STEM for underrepresented populations.
Reducing support for NASA by 50% will decimate astrophysics research, put thousands of people out of a job, and reduce our ability to protect ourselves from threats like asteroids and climate change. Frankly speaking, these cuts make no sense. NASA and the work it does is extremely popular (see Figure 2), economically beneficial, and has inspired generations of scientists across the globe. Fortunately, these detrimental cuts to one of our country’s greatest assets have not passed yet. Ultimately, Congress is in control of NASA’s fate, and we have time to make our voices heard.
Action Items for Astronomers and the General Public
As shown by Figure 3, meeting with your representative or sending individual email messages and phone calls are among the most powerful ways to effect change as a constituent of the general public. It is incredibly important to contact our elected representatives to let them know we want them to fight for NASA and our future in science, by convincing them to support sustained federal investments in science research. Below, we list four main action items to take now.
Action Items:
- Email/call your legislators to explain how NASA funding has directly impacted you. You can either use the form email that the AAS policy team has provided (designed specifically for astronomers), the form email from the Planetary Society (designed for concerned members of the general public), or email them directly using the following procedure. If you enter your ZIP code at the following link, you can find the contact information for your representative, and you can send them a message asking them to stand up for NASA. Calling them directly is the most effective route, but sending an email works too! For your convenience, Astrobites has also created some template emails to use. These templates were created for both professional astronomers and members of the general public who are passionate about supporting NASA funding. They each have a section where you should tell your own story!
- Urge your representatives to sign the bipartisan Congressional letter advocating for $9 billion in NASA SMD funding for FY 2026. Last year’s letter had 44 signatories from the House of Representatives. We need your help to increase this number! The AAS policy team has provided an additional form email where you can include a personal message.
- Ask your congressperson to support the $9 billion in NASA SMD funding for FY 2026 through a constituent appropriations request— essentially, asking your congressional representative to direct funding toward a particular area. You should fill out this form three times, to support the NSF, NASA, and the DOE, all of which play a huge role in funding astrophysics research.
- Set up an in-person or zoom meeting with the staff of your district’s representative. In-person or zoom meetings are the most powerful way to effect change as a constituent (see Figure 3). See details below for how to do this!
After finding your representative, their personal website will have an email form that you can fill out that will be directed to the congressperson’s staff. You can also contact the American Astronomical Society (AAS) public policy office ([email protected]) for science staffer contact information. You can then request an in-person or zoom meeting with local office staff. Keep the request short, direct, and respectful.
Example:
Hello,
My name is [ YOUR NAME] and I am a [ TITLE]. I am reaching out to schedule a meeting with Senator [SENATOR] or [THEIR/HIS/HER] staff to discuss the importance of the astronomical sciences and the Senator’s continued support for NASA Science and the NSF in FY 2026.
I am available for an in-district meeting at the [LOCATION] office on [DATE] from [TIME ] or a zoom meeting any time. Please let me know what time works best for you for an in-person meeting.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best,
[ YOUR NAME]
During the meeting, keep the meeting focused on scientific funding and its impact in your district. Remain non-partisan. Share first-hand experiences and stories. The American Astronomical Society’s science advocacy reference may be a useful guide.
Conclusion
The authors of this post would be extremely grateful if you helped us defend NASA from these budget cuts. It is certainly a scary time to be a scientist or science advocate. However, these times will only get worse if we don’t stand up for what we believe in now. This pushback needs to extend beyond just people in the field, so contact your representative no matter where you work! Keep your eyes and ears open for ways you can help preserve American science so that NASA can continue to enlighten and inspire us for generations to come.
Per aspera, ad astra!
Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Disclaimer: Astrobites is an editorially independent organization and writing collaborative. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of any other organization(s) with which the authors are affiliated.
