Impounding Nasa Funding, Nasa Funding News, Nasa Funded
In terms of the federal budget, the U.S. space agency has had a successful week.
A $24.8 billion budget measure for the upcoming fiscal year was adopted by a U.S. House of Representatives committee on Tuesday. A Senate committee then approved a $24.9 billion NASA budget two days later. Both proposals would largely maintain the space agency's activities on their existing course and maintain financing at levels similar to those of the current fiscal year.
The bills are not final. Before being sent to President Trump for his signature, both must be approved by the entire House and Senate and then reconciled. Additionally, there is not much time left; fiscal year 2026 will start on October 1, just over ten weeks from now.
The financing measures are noteworthy because they defy the Trump administration's demands to slash NASA's science programs by half and its budget by a quarter. Additionally, after two additional missions, Congress rejected the White House's proposal to restructure the Artemis Moon program, eliminating the Lunar Gateway and the utilisation of the space agency's costly Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
Many people in the space community will be relieved by the law, but there are still some questions that remain. Some members of Congress are already publicly preparing for a battle, as the measures actually lay the setting for a significant confrontation with the White House Office of Management and Budget this autumn.
What might occur
The simplest approach would be for the House and Senate to complete and approve the budget before the current fiscal year ends. Congress alone is in charge of determining the federal government's spending caps, although it rarely does so on time.
Just 10% of the time during the last 40 years has Congress enacted all of the necessary appropriations provisions. Usually, Congress will enact a permanent resolution to increase funding at current spending levels, but occasionally this results in a government shutdown at the conclusion of the fiscal year.
Congress is expected to adopt appropriations legislation for the majority of the federal government, including NASA, before October 1st of this year, considering the recent action on budget issues.
There is undoubtedly motivation to do so, as the White House and its Office of Management and Budget, led by Russ Vought, have stated that they intend to implement the president's budget request, drastically cutting NASA and other federal agency spending levels, in the absence of appropriations legislation.
The principal investigators for the NASA research programs that the White House is attempting to terminate, for instance, have been requested to develop termination plans that can be put into effect within three months, beginning on October 1, as Ars reported earlier this month.
Therefore, it is likely that the White House will take legal action to enforce its spending priorities at government agencies, including NASA, regardless of whether a resolution is passed or a shutdown occurs.
The danger has been acknowledged by Congress.
The House committee on NASA oversight's top members, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was recently appointed NASA's interim administrator, openly voiced their alarm this week.
The White House Office of Management and Budget seems to be driving NASA's operations with a radical ideology that upholds the executive branch's authority to appropriate monies from Congress for its own purposes. Furthermore, it now seems that the agency plans to "align" its current budget with the Trump administration's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year by implementing funding cuts that Congress never passed, apparently without considering the devastating effects of massive layoffs, potential program cuts, and massive, central program cuts. These choices are incorrect, and you have no control over them.
The White House Office of Management and Budget seems to be driving NASA's operations with a radical ideology that upholds the executive branch's authority to appropriate monies from Congress for its own purposes. Furthermore, it now seems that the agency plans to "align" its current budget with the Trump administration's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year by implementing funding cuts that Congress never passed, apparently without considering the devastating effects of massive layoffs, potential program cuts, and massive, central program cuts. These choices are incorrect, and you have no control over them.
Duffy is reminded in the letter that federal agencies function within the budgetary constraints set by Congress. Legislators claim that NASA is proceeding with funding freezes for a number of programs, which is lowering the agency's overall employment levels. Since the Trump administration began, the agency has lost about 2,700 staff.
The legislators' demands also include Duffy's pledge to abide by the law.
In order to reassure the public and agency staff that NASA will always abide by the law, the letter requests that you make a public declaration stating that NASA will not withhold any funding and will use all funds appropriated by Congress in the most recent, current, and upcoming fiscal years as instructed by Congress.
On Friday, over five dozen House representatives wrote another letter to Duffy. The White House's attempts to obstruct the regular budget process and carry out its own plans for NASA raise comparable worries.
What the heck?
Recent budget action in the House and Senate suggests that lawmakers are taking the possibility of an Office of Management and Budget seizure seriously, a senior source told Ai Tech Gadget. They seem to be attempting to pass a budget on time, which will be their best weapon in that battle.
In private, politicians are also indicating that they plan to keep NASA's budget in check. Despite his rapid pace, Duffy has started meeting with a few politicians who have a stake in NASA in their states, according to space agency insiders who spoke to Ars. Several of them have expressed disapproval of the White House's unilateral plans to restructure the agency. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee chairman, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has become a major ally of NASA and recently sponsored a bill that backs the agency's existing ambitions.
The extent to which the Trump administration will attempt to carry out its plan for NASA is yet unknown. Are Trump and the votes prepared to die on this mountain? Or did Elon Musk's departure from Washington, D.C., and the rejection of Jared Isaacman's nomination to head the space agency ultimately put a stop to Trump's rhetoric about a great plan for Mars?
Congress responded this week. However, they might not have the last word.
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