Under this proposal, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate would receive almost a 50% reduction in its Budget. Within the individual SMD Divisions,
* The Planetary Science budget would decrease from its current level of $2,717 Million to $1,929 Million;
* The Earth Science budget would decrease from its current level of $2,195 Million to $1,033 Million;
* The Astrophysics budget would decrease from its current level of $1,530 Million to $487 Million;
and
* The Heliophysics budget would decrease from its current level of $805 M to $455 M.
The AAS has issued a Press Release expressing “grave concern” over these proposed budget levels which, if enacted, would have an absolutely devastating impact on our community and on our nation’s leadership in science. However, Congress has the final word on federal funding.
- Action: Help ensure these proposed cuts do not come to fruition by urging your Representatives to sign onto the House Letter to Appropriators that requests $9 Billion for NASA SMD in FY 2026.The AAS has issued an Action Alert that urges the community to ask their members of Congress to sign this letter in support of robust funding for NASA science, and provides guidance on how to do so effectively. Remember: you don’t have to be a US citizen to be represented in Congress; you only have to live, work, or have demonstrable connections (e.g., alma mater) to that Congressional District. You can find contact information for your representative here.
The level of funding requested in the bipartisan letter will ensure that all NASA Science Areas can thrive – from robust flagship missions and a steady cadence of new Explorers, to low-cost access to space opportunities, technology development, and supporting research. Overall, it would enable a strong workforce to deliver the groundbreaking science that advances the next generation of science and exploration as outlined in the community decadal survey reports.
You can view the House Letter here and Representatives can sign it electronically using this Quill link (note: works for members of Congress only). The letter is open for signatures until May 12th but please don’t wait: call or write your legislators NOW!
- Action: Make sure your members of Congress (House and Senate) are including NASA Science in their personal list of priorities to their respective Appropriations Committee by submitting their Constituent Appropriations Request Forms. (An AAS document that provides guidance on this process can be found here and a spreadsheet that contains deadlines and links to the Constituent Appropriations Request forms for each Representative can be found here.)
- Action: Finally, please share this information with colleagues and friends and urge them to take action.
Summary
I realize that there is a lot of information here, but at this critical juncture it is really important that we make our collective voice heard. If it helps, here is the collection of links to the various items mentioned above:
- The Ars Technica article on the proposed NASA FY 2026 Budget: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/trump-white-house-budget-proposal-eviscerates-science-funding-at-nasa/
- The AAS Press Release expressing concerns about the proposed budget: https://aas.org/press/aas-statement-nasa-cuts
- The House Letter to Appropriators, requesting a $9B level of funding for NASA SMD, and on which we would like Representatives to be a Signatory: https://americanastronomicalsociety.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/AASTeam-PublicPolicyTeam/EeOXi2-t121EhhXS0FV0TXUB6722f0Ze6lj3ewSTXYvkTA?e=0S7QD8
- The AAS Action Alert, urging people to contact their Representatives and request that they be a Signatory to the above Letter: https://aas.org/urge-nasa-support
- How to find your Representative’s contact information: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- Spreadsheet with Links to the various Constituent Appropriation Request Forms: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NoHU12JwHeRlvG8FwIAuuTgbxrgP7JqDko8xS06MaqU/edit?gid=0#gid=0
- AAS Guidelines on the Constituent Appropriation Request Forms: https://aas.org/posts/action-alert/2025/03/action-alert-support-sciences-through-congressional-constituent-requests
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Gordon Emslie
Chair, SPD Public Policy Committee