Isaacman defends NASA budget proposal despite steep cuts

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended a fiscal year 2027 budget proposal that would cut the agency’s budget by nearly 25%.

In his first public comments about the budget proposal released April 3, Isaacman said on two television news programs April 5 that the agency had sufficient funding in the proposal to carry out its top exploration priorities despite steep cuts in science, space operations and space technology.

“I certainly support President Trump and his 2027 budget request,” he said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program.

“Look, we have a ’26 appropriations. We have $10 billion in supplemental funding” from the budget reconciliation bill enacted last July. “These resources are the only reason we can accelerate production to get to the moon, to add a mission in ’27, which is Artemis 3, to build the moon base and do all the other things.”

“I think the American public and the taxpayers should be judging NASA based on outcomes, and not how quickly we can spend money every year,” he said.

Isaacman offered similar comments in a separate appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “NASA’s budget is greater than every other space agency across the world,” he said. “NASA’s science budget is greater than every other space agency combined across the world.”

He argued that the focus on the proposed cuts ignores the funding from last year’s budget reconciliation bill. “That’s what gives us the capability to get to the moon with frequency, to build the enduring presence on the moon, the moon base, which, in itself, is going to afford numerous scientific and technological development opportunities,” he said.

That funding, though, is largely concentrated in exploration programs. The reconciliation bill did not provide any money for science, whose budget would be cut by 47% in the 2027 proposal, or space technology, facing nearly a one-third cut.

Isaacman, in his CNN appearance, cited ongoing science programs, like the Roman Space Telescope and Dragonfly mission to Titan. Both are funded in the 2027 request, but dozens of science missions either in early stages of development or extended operations are in danger of cancellation.

“NASA doesn’t have a topline problem. We just need to focus on executing and delivering world-changing outcomes,” he said of the budget, which would cut NASA’s topline by 23% from 2026 levels to $18.8 billion.

Isaacman’s appearances on the television shows, which were largely about the ongoing Artemis 2 mission, were the agency’s first public comments since the April 3 release of the proposed 2027 budget. While NASA has in the past marked the release of the budget with speeches and briefings, NASA did not even issue a statement about the 2027 budget proposal, simply publishing its detailed budget proposal, known as a congressional justification, on the agency’s website.

Isaacman did send a memo to NASA employees April 3 about the budget. “As we saw in last year’s budget request, it calls on agencies to find efficiencies, focus resources, and do more to meet the moment,” he wrote.

“I strongly support the President’s fiscal policies and mandate to drive efficiency,” he wrote. “The requested funding levels are sufficient for NASA to meet the Nation’s high expectations and deliver on all mission priorities.”

“I encourage the workforce to leave the politics for the politicians and remain focused on the mission,” he concluded.