The Senate appropriations committee challenges Trump’s 2026 budget, aiming to protect NASA Science and NSF from major cuts.

"Though the House and Senate have much still to debate on full-year appropriations, this much is clear: Congress is rejecting the full extent of the unprecedented, unstrategic, and wasteful cuts to NASA and NASA science proposed by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget," the Planetary Society said in a statement.

In May, the White House released a budget proposal that would slash NASA funding. But a Senate appropriations plan would protect the agency's budget.

The president’s proposed budget for 2026 cuts the agency by nearly 25 percent. That would be the largest single-year cut in NASA’s history, taking it back to a level last seen in 1961.

Billions for NASA programs, including key programs for the Marshall Space Flight Center, were included in President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," but the fate of millions in science funding is still being decided.

Republican lawmakers are considering clawing back $9 billion in federal funds, codifying a slice of cuts proposed by DOGE.

The 47% budget cut would obliterate NASA's science program, experts say.

Six weeks after he terminated the nomination of Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator, President Trump moved on Wednesday evening to install a new temporary leader for the space agency.