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<\/p>\n\n Congressmembers from both sides of the aisle are vowing to reject the White House\u2019s proposal to slash NASA\u2019s 2027 budget by nearly a quarter.\n <\/p>\n
\n The pushback came as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman appeared before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology on Wednesday, during a hearing largely focused on President Donald Trump\u2019s proposed budget cuts and how they might impact the space agency\u2019s lofty ambitions amid a new space race.\n <\/p>\n
\n Republican Rep. Brian Babin of Texas made clear he does not support the White House proposal, noting that Congress rejected similar plans last year, and he is \u201cconfident that they are going to be rejected again.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
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\n \u201cI simply do not believe that this budget proposal is capable of supporting what President Trump himself has directed the agency to accomplish over the course of his two terms, nor what Congress has directed by law,\u201d Babin said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California and the committee\u2019s ranking member, added, \u201cThat\u2019s just not a winning strategy.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Democrats on the committee also alleged that NASA leadership moved forward last year with implementing parts of Trump\u2019s proposed 2026 budget cuts despite the fact that federal lawmakers rejected the plan in their annual appropriations bill.\n <\/p>\n
\n Under the US Constitution, federal lawmakers are given the power to enact a budget. While the sitting president routinely issues an annual \u201crequest\u201d in an attempt to steer Congress, the appropriations bills passed by the House and Senate \u2014 and signed by the president \u2014 are the final authority<\/a> on federal spending.\n <\/p>\n \n House Democrats allege that NASA authorities last year may have violated that constitutional framework in attempting to enact the presidential budget request, or PBR. Such moves affected at least three NASA science and research programs, according to a report released Friday by Democratic staff with the House Science committee.\n <\/p>\n \n NASA did not reply to CNN\u2019s request for comment on the report.\n <\/p>\n \n Lofgren said in the hearing that the alleged actions took place before Isaacman, who was confirmed for the job in December, took over at the agency. But Isaacman did not directly respond to claims that NASA acted inappropriately.\n <\/p>\n \n The agency does have some ability to squash or alter course on programs that are in the early stages of development, particularly if the law is unclear about Congressional intent for a project, noted Cristina Chaplain, a former NASA auditor with the federal Government Accountability Office. That could have been the case for some of the projects at issue in the Democrats\u2019 report, Chaplain noted.\n <\/p>\n \n But Lofgren said she wanted to ensure Isaacman would \u201cadhere to the law and what Congress has enacted.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman responded, \u201cLet me just say \u2014 from the get-go \u2014 of course, we will always follow the law at NASA.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n In his opening remarks on Wednesday, Isaacman had also argued for some of the project cancelations mapped out in Trump\u2019s latest 2027 budget request. The programs pegged for closure include one designed to return the first soil sample from Mars and phasing out NASA\u2019s massive Space Launch System moon rocket \u2014 which powered the Artemis II lunar flyby mission earlier this month \u2014 in favor of commercial rocket options.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe President\u2019s budget supports investments in aeronautics that will advance civil, commercial and national security, aviation, especially next generation air transportation systems for safer air traffic control,\u201d Isaacman said.\n <\/p>\n \n The president\u2019s 2027 budget request<\/a>, released in early April, includes a proposal to give a billion-dollar boost to the agency\u2019s moon-focused Artemis program.\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman has made clear that returning humans to the moon and eventually establishing a permanent lunar settlement under the Artemis program should be NASA\u2019s top priority, given that the agency is racing its archrival, China, to achieve such goals.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is not necessarily like the 1960s where, it turns out, in hindsight, we had almost unlimited schedule margin,\u201d Isaacman said Wednesday. \u201cThis is different now. I say it often \u2014 that the difference between winning and losing will be measured in months, not years, and that should create a sense of urgency.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n But the budget request also recommends deep cuts to NASA\u2019s science budget and the elimination of other programs, including STEM education \u2014 to the tune of nearly 50%. Overall, the proposed budget would cut the agency\u2019s top line by $5.6 billion, or 23%.\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman faced a grilling over these proposed slashes.\n <\/p>\n \n Christina Koch \u2014 one of the Artemis II astronauts who became the first woman to travel beyond Earth orbit \u2014 personally benefitted from a STEM grant during her educational career in a program that would be zeroed out under the PBR, noted North Carolina Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cEnding these grants at a time when this nation just witnessed the wonders of space will thwart the education and dreams of the next generation of scientists,\u201d Ross argued.\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman replied that NASA can still reinvigorate a new generation of scientists and engineers even without an education budget, in part because the agency\u2019s Artemis program will naturally inspire young people to pursue STEM careers. He added that NASA has a robust internship program.\n <\/p>\n Science cuts and climate research<\/p>\n \n Separately, lawmakers questioned Isaacman on his plans for NASA\u2019s science initiatives, especially those related to Earth science.\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman argued that NASA should eventually hand over some of its in-house duties operating satellites that track and study weather and climate to the private sector. He said that Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin and several other commercial companies operate constellations of satellites that could be outfitted with Earth science equipment at a lower cost to the taxpayer.\n <\/p>\n \n The companies \u201chave reached out to us and said, \u2018Give us this mandate, and we can incorporate these tools.\u2019 Now we\u2019re proceeding carefully at it,\u201d Isaacman said. \u201cWe do presently inhabit just one planet, and understanding Earth science is paramount for agriculture industry and natural disaster response. We do value this science and intend to work with industry to get after this data more affordably.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Isaacman also faced questions about past comments he made regarding climate science research. He has previously suggested that he does not believe NASA should be in the business of authoring papers that make definitive statements regarding the realities of the climate crisis, noting that the topic is politically charged.\n <\/p>\n \n Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas of Oregon pressed Isaacman on that point of view, asking who would decide which science topics are politically charged. She also questioned whether Isaacman would attempt to get involved or issue direction on the types of papers NASA researchers can publish.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI have not taken any position, directive written or otherwise on what papers we should or shouldn\u2019t publish,\u201d Isaacman replied.\n <\/p>\n![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gettyimages-2266973470-20260331095307923.jpg\")
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