PHOENIX – House and Senate appropriators have released the text of the final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026 that largely rejects the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to NASA.
The “minibus” appropriations package, released Jan. 5 and led by the House and Senate Appropriations committees, combines three bills including the Commerce, Justice and Science bill that fund NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation.
The minibus provides $24.438 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2026, slightly less than the $24.875 billion the agency received under the full-year continuing resolution in 2024 and again in 2025.
This total amount, however, far exceeds the $18.8 billion requested for NASA in the administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal released in May. The White House proposal called for smaller cuts in space operations and aeronautics, as well as cuts of about 50% in both science and space technology. This proposal would have canceled dozens of missions.
The minibus rejects most of the proposed cuts to NASA science, providing $7.25 billion in fiscal year 2025 compared to $7.33 billion. Space technology will receive $920.5 million, down from $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2025, but much more than the proposed $569 million. Space operations, which includes support for the International Space Station and commercial space stations, will receive $4.175 billion in fiscal 2025, compared to $4.22 billion in fiscal 2025.
Funding for exploration is less than the administration’s request of more than $8.3 billion but slightly higher than current levels. Minibus provides $7.783 billion, compared to $7.666 billion in 2025.
The bill also reduces funding for some administrative and infrastructure accounts but rejects the administration’s proposal to eliminate NASA’s education account, known as the STEM Engagement. The measure provides $143 million for the program, unchanged from fiscal year 2025.
The law provides few details on funding for individual programs. Appropriators did not immediately release an accompanying report, which typically includes program-level guidance. A fact sheet released by Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats said the bill would provide $2.15 billion for earth sciences and $1.6 billion for astrophysics within the science account, both close to fiscal year 2025 levels.
The fact sheet states that exploration funding in the minibus “supports progress on the Artemis mission, including enough funding for NASA to meet the ambitious goal of returning humans to the Moon by 2028.”
