4 minute read•Updated 6:24 PM EDT, Fri May 2, 2025
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led by Director Russell T. Vought, today submitted President Trump's discretionary funding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2026 to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The budget proposal emphasizes substantial spending reductions, significant increases in defense and border security funding, and a rigorous reshaping of federal priorities.
The budget proposes a substantial 22.6% decrease (amounting to $163 billion) in base non-defense discretionary spending compared to current-year levels. The administration asserts that this reduction follows a meticulous line-by-line evaluation, identifying expenses deemed unnecessary or misaligned with the core needs of "ordinary working Americans." Particular criticism was directed at federal funding of organizations and higher education institutions promoting ideologies related to gender and climate issues.
"These recommendations will restore confidence in America's fiscal management," - Director Vought; highlighting that the proposed cuts could save trillions over a decade and lead towards a balanced federal budget.
The budget outlines unprecedented funding increases in key areas of national security. Defense spending is proposed to increase by 13% to reach $1.01 trillion, emphasizing modernization and military readiness. Additionally, Homeland Security is set to receive a historic investment of $175 billion aimed explicitly at enhancing border security.
The administration plans to finance at least $325 billion of these increases through reconciliation procedures, bypassing potential opposition in Congress. The approach ensures essential defense and border security funds are not used as leverage by opponents pushing for higher discretionary domestic spending.
Significant Changes Proposed for NASA
The proposal includes notable shifts within NASA's funding, reinforcing commitments to lunar and Mars exploration while drastically reducing funding for other programs:
Human Space Exploration:
Over $7 billion is earmarked specifically for lunar exploration, accompanied by an additional $1 billion dedicated explicitly to Mars-focused programs. These investments aim to keep America's human space exploration efforts "unparalleled, innovative, and efficient."
Space Science:
Termination of the Mars Sample Return mission, labeled "grossly overbudget," resulting in savings of $2.27 billion. The administration proposes relying instead on human missions to Mars for sample collection, arguing the existing mission would not return samples until the 2030s.
Mission Support:
Reduction of NASA's Mission Support budget by $1.13 billion through workforce streamlining, cutting back on IT services, NASA Center operations, facility maintenance, and environmental compliance activities to refocus agency efforts on major exploration objectives.
Earth Science:
The elimination of funding for low-priority climate monitoring satellites and restructuring of the Landsat Next mission—criticized as a "gold-plated, two-billion-dollar" project—to explore more cost-effective alternatives, resulting in a $1.16 billion saving.
Legacy Human Exploration Systems:
The proposal includes phasing out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after just three flights, citing excessive costs of $4 billion per launch and overruns amounting to 140%. Funding would shift toward more economical commercial systems, supporting more ambitious lunar missions. Additionally, the Gateway lunar station, an international collaborative project, is slated for termination.
Space Technology:
Funding for Space Technology would be reduced by approximately half, a cut of $531 million. The budget specifically targets eliminating failing propulsion projects and technology programs deemed better suited to private sector research and development.
International Space Station:
The budget reflects preparations for the station's transition to commercial alternatives by 2030, proposing reductions in crew size, onboard research, and significantly fewer cargo and crew flights. This strategic scaling back would save $508 million and refocus station activities exclusively on critical lunar and Mars mission-related research.
Aeronautics:
Complete elimination of "green aviation" initiatives to save $346 million, redirecting aeronautics research funding solely towards air traffic control improvements and defense applications.
STEM Engagement:
Total elimination of the Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement, described as subsidizing "woke STEM programming" that prioritizes certain student groups and has shown "minimal impact on the aerospace workforce," resulting in $143 million in savings.
Director Vought emphasized the shift towards practical, ambitious space exploration objectives, positioning NASA to outpace China in lunar and Mars exploration while significantly reducing non-essential programs.
The proposed budget now heads to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for debate and consideration as Congress prepares FY 2026 appropriations bills.
