WASHINGTON — A leading Democratic member of the House Science Committee says the proposed steep cuts in NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal show that the administration does not appreciate the value of science not just to the NASA but the country in general.
Speaking at a SpaceNews webinar June 10, Rep. George Whitesides (D-Calif.), vice ranking member of the House Science Committee, sharply criticized the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal for NASA, full details of which were released May 30.
The budget proposes a cut of nearly 25% for NASA’s overall budget, the largest single-year cut, as well as a nearly 50% cut to NASA science programs.
Whitesides called the proposed cuts “catastrophic” and linked the NASA science cuts to broader reductions to science programs at other agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.
The budget proposal would reduce the agency’s civil servant workforce by about a third, to less than 12,000 people.
WASHINGTON — A prominent Democrat on the House Science Committee claims that radical cuts to NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal demonstrate the administration’s lack of appreciation for the importance of science to the nation as a whole, not just NASA.
Speaking on June 10 at a SpaceNews webinar, Rep. Whitesides, George (D-Calif. ), the House Science Committee’s vice ranking member, harshly criticized NASA’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, the full details of which were made public on May 30.
The budget calls for a nearly 50 percent cut to NASA science programs and the largest single-year cut to NASA’s overall budget, of almost 25 percent. Dozens of missions would be terminated if that were put into effect.
Described as “catastrophic,” Whitesides connected the NASA science cuts to larger cuts to science programs at other organizations, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
According to him, “what we’re witnessing is, I believe, a full-scale assault on the scientific establishment.”. “The administration doesn’t seem to understand how important science and technology are to our economy and global leadership.”. “”.
The administration, he claimed, does not seem to understand the connection between research and competitiveness in those science cuts. “I believe that the administration may be misinformed about the fundamental value of these various scientific endeavors to the breadth of the American economy and our leadership,” he stated.
He gave Earth science’s use of multispectral imagery as an example. “The Chinese are launching literally dozens of these kinds of instruments into space, and losing our leadership in multispectral imagery is not just a problem with atmospheric science; it also hinders and kneecaps our ability to locate important minerals that will be essential in the competition for this century’s economy both domestically and internationally. “”.
Despite the cancellation of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in a leaked budget “passback” document from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to NASA in April, the science cuts in the detailed budget proposal were not as severe as initially thought. Roman is not cancelled by the full budget, but its anticipated funding for 2026 is decreased. “There has been some movement, but obviously not enough,” he stated. “.”.
He stated that he is in discussions with House appropriators and other members of the House Science Committee, which approves NASA programs, but that it is too soon to be specific about how those committees would react to the proposed budget. There seems to be a widespread belief that the proposed cuts would have disastrous consequences for NASA. Therefore, people are considering how that proposal will be received,” he said. “”.
Due to a high turnover in the science committee’s membership from the previous Congress, Whitesides, a former CEO of Virgin Galactic and former NASA chief of staff, stated that he is trying to educate his fellow members. “I’m hoping that by raising awareness of these issues’ connections to our economy and security, we can lessen the cuts. “.”.
Artemis is planning.
Following the Artemis 3 mission, the Space Launch System and Orion will be discontinued and replaced with commercial capabilities, according to the budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. Industry associations have opposed that as well. Sen. . Among other things, Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declared on June 5 that he would try to include an additional $10 billion in a budget reconciliation bill that would finance SLS and Orion through Artemis 5.
Whitesides said that terminating SLS and Orion following Artemis 3 was too soon. While contractors are working on long-lead items for vehicles well beyond Artemis 3, he stated, “I personally am in favor of continuing these things longer.”. That work, in my opinion, is significant. The people performing that labor need to be protected. “”.
Additionally, he wants to learn more about the administration’s plan to switch to commercial alternatives. “I think we don’t have right now, in Congress, a full understanding of these architectures that are being proposed for both lunar and Martian exploration,” he said, adding that he wants to work “towards a fully sustainable long-term human space exploration program.”. “”.
He stated that he is seeking bipartisan support for a technically and financially viable approach to space exploration.
“I believe that the current moment presents a chance for bipartisan consensus regarding a long-term exploration strategy. He stated, “I don’t think that reducing NASA’s budget by 25% is consistent with any future scenario where we exercise long-term American leadership in space.”.
Isaacman and the workforce.
Like the majority of the space community, Whitesides was taken aback when the White House announced on May 31 that it was rescinding its nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the administrator of NASA. A new candidate to head the agency has not yet been announced by the White House.
He blamed the White House and OMB for the proposed drastic NASA budget cuts, saying, “I think it is, frankly, pretty bad for the agency, because what it means is that the folks over at OMB and the White House are still functionally in charge of NASA.”.
In order to provide NASA with permanent leadership capable of collaborating with both the White House and Congress, he called for the swift nomination and confirmation of a new administrator. It’s imperative that we find a replacement as soon as possible. “”.
He stated that he was open to individuals without a “traditional background” leading NASA and that there are “no perfect candidates” for the position. Nevertheless, it would be beneficial to have someone who appreciates and comprehends the agency’s goal in its entirety. “.”.
He went on to say that it’s crucial to have someone with experience managing big businesses. He remarked, “On occasion, we appoint individuals to these departments who lack the operational expertise of managing a sizable organization or business.”. It’s a large organization. It is a treasure of the country. NASA holds significance. Someone with the organizational skills to manage that is what we need. “”.
But possible layoffs threaten that organization’s size. Less than 12,000 employees, or roughly a third of the agency’s civil servant workforce, would remain after the budget proposal.
NASA announced on June 9 that it was initiating another deferred retirement program, which had previously accepted the resignations of roughly 5% of the workforce. NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement that all NASA civil servants were informed on Monday that the agency is providing a Deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and/or Voluntary Separation Incentive Program. Employees are given the chance to leave while still allowing the organization to fully fulfill its mission. “”.
During the webinar, Whitesides brought up the new program, stating that NASA could lose some of its top personnel. According to him, “the first people to accept these retirement offers are frequently some of the best because they know they can get a job somewhere else,” or they were already thinking about retiring.
According to him, the best course of action for Congress would be to highlight its support for the agency in both authorization and appropriations bills. “I believe that it will be better if members of Congress and others in Congress speak about a bright future for the agency and demonstrate their commitment to that future,” he stated. “At a time when it appears that the administration does not value a strong future for NASA, we must be the backstop. “”.