Overview
- Lawmakers on the House Science Committee, which met Wednesday, rejected the White House’s fiscal 2027 NASA plan that would cut the agency to $18.8 billion, about 23% below 2026 funding.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the request and said better execution could offset cuts, pointing to big overruns and delays on the X-59 quiet supersonic plane, the Dragonfly mission to Titan, Mars Sample Return, and the Space Launch System upgrade.
- Pressed on science cuts that members said would slash the Science Mission Directorate by nearly half, Isaacman argued commercial Earth-imaging fleets could take on work now done by Landsat after Landsat-10, which he said could lower costs by 80% to 90%.
- The proposed elimination of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement drew bipartisan pushback, with members citing programs like Space Grant and Minority University Research & Education Project and noting astronaut Christina Koch once benefited from Space Grant support.
- Next steps come fast: Isaacman testifies to House appropriators on April 27, the full committee plans a May 13 markup of the NASA spending bill, and Senate hearings are expected, echoing last year’s fights over similar cuts and past attempts to scrap the STEM office.