Congress Moves To Reject Bulk Of White House's Proposed NASA Cuts

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A budget-writing panel in the House of Representatives passed a $24.8 billion NASA budget bill Tuesday, joining a similar subcommittee in the Senate in maintaining the space agency's funding after the White House proposed a nearly 25 percent cut.

In reality, a flat budget is effectively a cut in funding once you account for inflation. But spaceflight and space science advocates celebrated the bills written to restore NASA's budget.

"Though the House and Senate have much still to debate on full-year appropriations, this much is clear: Congress is rejecting the full extent of the unprecedented, unstrategic, and wasteful cuts to NASA and NASA science proposed by the White House's Office of Management and Budget," the Planetary Society said in a statement.

"The Planetary Society calls on the OMB and the current NASA leadership to acknowledge clear congressional intent to support NASA science, and avoid the premature implementation of irreversible structural changes such as imposing research grant cancellations, indiscriminate reductions in force, and active mission terminations."