In a joint statement, all former executives of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate condemned the 47% cuts proposed by Donald Trump’s White House to the space agency’s scientific activities in the budget for fiscal year 2026.
The letter in question was sent to the heads of the House and Senate appropriations committees. The document states that the White House’s budget proposal “would abandon dozens of ongoing, extraordinarily productive and successful scientific missions” and block almost all future investments in exploration and innovation.
The signatories, John Grunsfeld, Alphonso Diaz, Lennard Fisk, Wesley Huntress, Alan Stern, Edward Weiler, and Thomas Zurbuchen, have served as Associate Administrators for NASA’s science program. They urged Congress to preserve US leadership in space exploration and reject the unprecedented cuts devised by White House Budget Director Russ Vought.
“NASA science endeavors are exercises in long-term national commitment that pay dividends to the American people,” they explained. “Given the scale of the proposed cuts, their long-term consequences, and the potential loss of human knowledge and inspiration, we unanimously urge Congress to reject the proposed cuts.”
If the measure promoted by the Trump administration is approved, NASA’s science budget will be reduced from the current $7.33 billion to $3.9 billion. This would be the lowest funding level since 1961. Former agency executives have explained that this would put the US at risk of permanently losing its leadership in space exploration to China.
“If the Administration is committed to countering the growing Chinese capability in space, the U.S. needs to continue its investment in U.S. space science, not cede it unilaterally”, the former officials explained. “Global space competition extends far past Moon and Mars exploration. The Chinese space science program is aggressive, ambitious, and well-funded.”
“While NASA’s science missions have greatly expanded humanity’s understanding of the Earth, solar system, and universe, the current expenditure of over $7 billion per year on over 100 missions is unsustainable,” reads the president’s budget request. The federal administration has also said it is ready to support “a leaner, more focused Science program that reflects the Administration’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.”
