July 3rd, 2025 | 11:07 a.m. PT

Congressional reconciliation bill rejects major changes to human spaceflight in FY 2026

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

H.R. 1, which was voted into law by Congress, is a bill that primarily focuses on taxation and mandatory spending. However, a provision included by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) provides $10 billion for NASA. This amount does not support science program. Instead, it funds NASA to build the SLS rockets for Artemis IV and V, the Gateway lunar station, and provides $1 billion for infrastructure improvements at human spaceflight centers around the country. It also backfills funding for the ISS and ISS de-orbit vehicle. Notably, it also provides $700 billion for a Mars telecommunications orbiter to support Mars Sample Return, though Mars Sample Return itself is not funded. Unlike standard appropriations, these funds are available for NASA's use for the next seven years, through 2032.

June 26th, 2025 | 5:41 p.m. ET

Temporary NASA leadership teases ignoring Congress on budget

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

Based on leaked audio from a closed-door NASA town hall, Acting Administrator Janet Petro announced that the interim agency leadership is considering a plan to implement the widely opposed cuts to science, human spaceflight, technology development, and STEM education in the event of a continuing resolution (CR). Under a CR, agencies are meant to operate at the last-enacted budget to maintain operations at a stable level while Congress establishes new funding levels. Instructing the agency to instead follow the OMB-drafted budget request would functionally circumvent Congress and enact a budget without their consent. Congress is the sole branch of government responsible for approving expenditures, as outlined in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.

June 16, 2025 | 7:40 a.m. PT

New op-ed: this anti-consensus Mars proposal will fail

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

I wrote an op-ed discussing the big-picture problem with the FY 2026 budget proposal: it breaks the consensus behind Artemis. Without consensus, any long-term human exploration plan will fail:

"There are two launch windows to Mars remaining in this administration. For this Mars project to succeed, future presidential administrations and congresses will be required to carry this effort forward; the choice is up to them. If the administration is serious about this Mars goal, it must ensure a coalition is in place to shepherd this transition. But a project borne from such destruction, absent any honest effort at consensus, will face serious backlash."

Read the whole thing.

June 13, 2025 | 2:40 p.m. ET

Global petition garners nearly 21,000 signatures, submitted to Congress

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

In a matter of weeks, our petition to Save NASA Science garnered an astounding 20,787 signatures from around the world. More than 83% of signatures came from the United States; all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. were represented. Space advocates from 109 countries and territories also signed. The Planetary Society submitted the petition and accompanying signatures to the U.S. Congress this afternoon as formal testimony for the FY 2026 appropriations process.

June 10, 2025 | 11:47 a.m. PT

Visualizing the threat to NASA and NASA science

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

We've released a new set of high-quality charts and data that detail the unique threat posed to NASA and space science in the 2026 budget proposal. Many of the charts are available below in the Resources section, but we've also prepared a single reference that highlights the key charts, including cuts to the agency, science, and program cancelations: NASA's disastrous 2026 budget proposal in seven charts.

June 3, 2025 | 9:47 a.m. ET

Global petition surpasses signature goal, keeps growing

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

Following this weekend’s tumultuous news about the future of NASA, a spike in signatories has sent the global petition to Save NASA Science rocketing past the stated goal of 10,000 signatures. The petition, addressed to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees, demonstrates the immense public support for space science and exploration. To date, the petition has been signed by advocates from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 100 countries.

May 31, 2025 | 4:25 p.m. ET

Jared Isaacman out as nominee to lead NASA

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

In a surprise move, the White House just pulled the nomination of tech entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman to be NASA Administrator. The rationale, according to a White House spokesperson, is because of a misalignment with the administration’s recently announced plans to gut NASA. Isaacman, an ardent believer in NASA’s “ability to do the impossible,” recently won bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate for his views on maintaining American leadership in scientific discovery and space exploration. The Senate was expected to swiftly confirm Isaacman's nomination in early June.

May 31, 2025 | 6:28 a.m. ET

See NASA Science's economic impact across the United States

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Today, we're launching a new dashboard to demonstrate the breadth and scope of the economic benefits from NASA's Science activities across the country, both at the state and congressional district levels. It provides high-level summaries and detailed reports customized for each region. It's a great way to help share what NASA science does locally.

May 30, 2025 | 4:28 p.m. ET

NASA's full FY 2026 budget is released

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

NASA posted the full details of the disastrous FY 2026 budget proposal, and we now know the grim details: it would eliminate 1/3 of all science projects, slash the agency's workforce by over 5,000, and reduce the overall budget to levels not seen since 1961. New initiatives for sending humans to Mars, while theoretically welcome, are presented without national justification and absent any effort at consensus-building. Such short-sighted actions will inevitably result in a weak, temporary effort unlikely to last more than one presidential administration. The essence of a wasteful enterprise. The negative consequences to science are profound. The Planetary Society's full statement is available here.

May 20, 2025 | 9:35 a.m. PT

Planetary Science Caucus kicks off

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

On Monday in the ornate foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building, more than 150 congressional staff, space professionals, and Members of Congress kicked off the Planetary Science Caucus in a reception hosted by The Planetary Society. At the start of every Congress, Caucuses must refile their founding paperwork. The Planetary Science Caucus, now in its second year, is officially reorganized and has hit the ground running; organizing against the devastating proposed cuts and rallying bipartisan congressional support for NASA’s science missions. Encourage your House Representative and Senators to join the Caucus to help grow the movement to Save NASA Science in Congress.

May 17, 2025 | 7:21 a.m. PT

Planetary Science Caucus-led congressional letter for NASA Science gets 83 signatories in the House of Representatives

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The "Dear Colleague" letter led by the Planetary Science Caucus co-Chairs Don Bacon (R-RE) and Judy Chu (D-CA) garnered 83 signatories from their colleagues in the House of Representatives. The letter, which called for a restoration of NASA's Science Mission Directorate to $9 billion, received co-signers from roughly 20% of the entire House of Representatives spanning 28 states and members of both parties. You can read the letter and see the full list of signatories here.

May 15, 2025 | 4:21 p.m. PT

Planetary defense is funded by NASA science, too

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee held a hearing on Planetary Defense, one of the core areas of interest here at The Planetary Society. We took the opportunity to submit a letter for the record, highlighting the amazing progress of this field in the past 20 years, but reminding the committee that this activity is funded by NASA Science, which is facing a 47% cut next year. It’s a good reminder: funding science isn’t just about the value of discovery; it’s in our self-interest.

May 14, 2025 | 9:20 a.m. PT

Everyone can sign our new petition in support of NASA and space science

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

In mid-June, the U.S. Congress is expected to begin official deliberations on the NASA budget for FY 2026. To show policymakers the immense public support for NASA and space science during this critical moment, The Planetary Society has launched an online petition. Unlike our direct congressional messages, signing the petition is not limited to U.S. residents. Space advocates from around the globe are encouraged to sign.

May 6, 2025 | 9:39 a.m. PT

Signatories more than double as official budget cuts come into view

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

In the span of less than one week, the number of signatories on the joint letter to Congress has doubled to 18. The list now includes the Scientific Society for Astrobiology, the Aspiring Martians podcast, Maryland Aerospace Alliance, Mars Foundation, National Space Society, Agnostic Life Finding Association, Satellite Industry Association, and the letter’s first student signatory, the Aggie Space Initiative at University of California, Davis. This influx of support from throughout the country represents the growing public rebuke of the reckless cuts to NASA and the U.S. science enterprise being proposed by the Office of Management & Budget, officially announced last Friday.

May 2, 2025 | 11:54 a.m. PT

Planetary Society condemns historic cuts to NASA

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The Planetary Society released its official statement on the FY 2026 White House NASA budget proposal: "Slashing NASA’s budget by this much, this quickly, without the input of a confirmed NASA Administrator or in response to a considered policy goal, won’t make the agency more efficient — it will cause chaos, waste the taxpayers’ investment, and undermine American leadership in space."

May 2, 2025 | 7:30 a.m. PT

OMB proposes to gut NASA—on National Space Day, no less

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

The “skinny” version of the President’s Budget Request has been released. In it, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) breaks with the Administration’s past support of NASA and proposes the single largest cut to the agency’s budget in American history. The request highlights the withdrawal of support from the space workforce, leading space institutions and centers, and programs like NASA’s education and infrastructure accounts. Mars Sample Return, a mission that is the top priority of the planetary science community, the next flagship for the China National Space Agency, and a penultimate step to human exploration of Mars, is declared cancelled.

May 1, 2025 | 7:30 a.m. PT

Momentum grows as two additional signatories added to letter

Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations

Following the release of the joint letter urging Congress to reject drastic cuts to NASA, two leading science organizations have joined the effort. The Open Lunar Foundation and the American Geophysical Union have joined as signatories, bringing the total number to ten. As we await further information about the budget, it’s clear that across the space community, cuts to NASA undermine American leadership in space.

April 30, 2025 | 6:27 a.m. PT

Industry, scientific, and public interest orgs speak up for science

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The Planetary Society and a coalition of major industry, scientific, and public-interest organizations released a joint letter today, urging congressional leaders to push back against the potential cuts to space science. The letter, initially signed by the American Astronomical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, the Commercial Space Federation, Explore Mars, Inc., The Mars Society, and the Planetary Science Institute, can be read here.

April 23, 2025 | 2:46 p.m. PT

More Republicans speak out against NASA science cuts

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Two former Republican members of Congress, Newt Gingrich and Bob Walker, and the Trump Administration's transition team, Charles Miller, released an op-ed calling the proposed cuts to NASA science "reckless" and stating that "world class science at NASA is also critically important to humanity’s future in space." This is an important statement, emphasizing that reversing these cuts is a nonpartisan issue.

April 21, 2025 | 10:39 a.m. PT

The Planetary Society raises awareness of space science cuts in the New York Times

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The New York Times published my guest essay today, about the potential threat to NASA’s space science and how it could impact the search for life, undermine our national interest, and represent a symbolic retreat of shared American values. You can read it here.

April 15, 2025 | 10:17 a.m. PT

Letter supporting NASA science circulates Congress

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

The Co-Chairs of the Planetary Science Caucus, Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Judy Chu (D-CA), are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter among the House of Representatives that calls for a restoration of NASA Science funding to $9 billion — the inflation-adjusted level reached under the first Trump Administration. You can read the letter here. If you live in the United States, consider writing to your representative asking them to co-sign this letter. We have a pre-written message you can send via our online action center.

April 12, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. PT

Congressional leaders speak out against cuts to NASA science

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Members of both parties have spoken out against the potential cuts to NASA science. The Co-Chairs of the congressional Planetary Science Caucus, Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Judy Chu (D-CA), saying that "We will work closely with our colleagues in Congress on a bipartisan basis to push back against these proposed cuts". Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member on the House Science Committee, stated, "I will do everything in my power to ensure these reckless proposals never come to fruition." Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee of Appropriations, vowed to "fight tooth and nail against these cuts and to protect the critical work being done at NASA Goddard".

April 11, 2025 | 7:29 a.m. PT

Near-final passback budget shows 50% cuts to NASA science

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Passback is when the Office of Management and Budget — the White House's accounting arm — provides a near-final budget proposal to NASA prior to its official release. It's not set in stone, but it's very close to being so. Today, reporting indicates that NASA's passback decimates science: a 50% cut, falling particularly hard on Astrophysics (cut by 70%) and Earth Science (-53%). Planetary Science and Heliophysics suffer cuts that, in any other year, would be considered extraordinary: X and X, respectively.

The reporting, unfortunately, was true. There is still time for the White House to reconsider, but this is a very bad sign.

April 7, 2025 | 11:04 a.m. PT

Acting NASA Administrator calls science cuts "rumors"

Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Janet Petro, acting NASA Administrator, was asked about the potential cuts at a public event in Colorado, according to SpaceNews. From the article: "she said she has not received any information on the administration’s plans for its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, other than 'rumors from really not credible sources.'" Not exactly a denial, but perhaps a good sign.

March 26, 2025 | 1:27 p.m. PT

The Planetary Society advocates for NASA in D.C.

By Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

More than 100 members of The Planetary Society gathered in Washington, D.C. yesterday to engage their members of Congress in support of NASA science and exploration. While no developments have occurred in the official FY 2026 budget, we remain concerned regarding reports of proposed cuts.

March 7, 2025 | 3:04 p.m. ET

Cuts of up to 50% for NASA's Science Mission Directorate are being reported

By Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy

Eric Berger of Ars Technica reported today that the White House is considering cuts of up to 50% for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. If true, this would be an unprecedented cut to NASA's science activities, and inevitably require dozens of active missions to be switched off, a functional freeze on new projects, and the end of NASA science as we know it. The Planetary Society issued an initial statement strongly rejecting such actions, and will be ready to engage stakeholders of both parties to push back against any cuts, should they be proposed.

As part of this commitment, we have created this running page to track updates and developments on this issue.