PHOENIX — House and Senate appropriators have released the text of a final appropriations bill for fiscal 2026 that largely rejects the steep cuts the Trump administration proposed for NASA.
The “minibus” appropriations package, released Jan. 5 by the leadership of the House and Senate appropriations committees, combines three bills, including the Commerce, Justice and Science bill that funds NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation.
The minibus provides $24.438 billion for NASA in fiscal 2026, slightly less than the $24.875 billion the agency received in 2024 and again in 2025 under a full-year continuing resolution.
That total, though, is far higher than the $18.8 billion requested for NASA in the administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal released in May. The White House proposal called for cuts of nearly 50% to both science and space technology, along with smaller reductions to space operations and aeronautics. The proposal would have canceled dozens of missions.
The minibus rejects most of the proposed reductions to NASA science, providing $7.25 billion, compared with $7.33 billion in fiscal 2025. Space technology would receive $920.5 million, down from $1.1 billion in fiscal 2025 but much higher than the proposed$569 million. Space operations, which includes the International Space Station and support for commercial space stations, would receive $4.175 billion, compared with $4.22 billion in fiscal 2025.
Funding for exploration is lower than the administration’s request of more than $8.3 billion but slightly higher than current levels. The minibus provides $7.783 billion, compared with $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 STEM Engagement. The measure provides $143 million for the program, unchanged from fiscal 2025.
The legislation offers few details on funding for individual programs. Appropriators had not immediately released the accompanying report, which typically contains program-level guidance. A fact sheet issued by Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats said the bill would provide $2.15 billion for Earth science and $1.6 billion for astrophysics within the science account, both close to fiscal 2025 levels.
The fact sheet added that exploration funding in the minibus “supports progress on the Artemis Campaign, including sufficient funding for NASA to meet the ambitious goal of returning humans to the moon by 2028.”
