August 1, 2025
Letter From Senators Representing Space Innovation Hubs Comes as Bipartisan Senate Rejects Proposed Gutting of Space Budget for Upcoming Fiscal Year
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and other Senators representing space and science innovation hubs across the nation demanded that the Trump administration halt any preemptive cuts to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science programs, justify impoundments of NASA funding from the past six months, and abide by Congress’ set funding levels for the current and future fiscal years to prevent irrevocable harm to America’s space innovation and scientific workforce.
“Trump’s witch hunt of scientists continues — now at NASA. The scientists and researchers working in Maryland at NASA Goddard and other NASA innovation hubs across the country are leading the way in climate research, earth science, and space exploration. If we want to remain a global leader in STEM and discovery, we should be investing in NASA — not slashing it. These cuts are shameful and wrong,” said Senator Alsobrooks.
“We cannot afford to prematurely gut funding for scientific excellence and technological innovation, which NASA has worked for decades to cultivate – especially when doing so would harm American jobs and progress,” the Senators wrote.
The letter to recently-installed Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy condemns the President and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought’s illegal impoundment of funding approved by a bipartisan Congress for the current fiscal year, and highlights that even proposed cuts from the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget request have further imperiled jobs and American competitiveness in space innovation in states across the U.S.
“Amidst the threat of looming cuts, NASA has already lost over 2,000 senior-level employees at NASA centers in Maryland, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Alabama, and Ohio. These losses will deprive NASA of key expertise on science, human space flight, and mission support. In blatant violation of law and complete disregard for the authority of Congress, the President’s budget request has already done significant damage to American space exploration and innovation,” the Senators wrote.
The letter comes as the Senate has advanced in recent weeks its bipartisan NASA funding bill which rejects the deep cuts proposed by President Donald Trump in his FY26 budget. The President’s proposed budget would have slashed NASA’s overall funding by 25 percent, including a 47 percent cut to NASA Science funding, the smallest proposed NASA operating budget since 1961.
The letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
The Senators who signed the letter all represent states that will bear a heavier burden from cuts to NASA funding.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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