U.S. Science Leadership Survives Existential Threat From Trump Budget as Cantwell Rallies Colleagues to Reject Gutting NASA, NSF, & NIST

U.S. Science Leadership Survives Existential Threat From Trump Budget as Cantwell Rallies Colleagues to Reject Gutting NASA, NSF, & NIST

Cantwell's September report, "The Destruction of NASA's Mission," warned lawmakers that Trump's proposed cuts would doom America to defeat in the international space race

WASHINGTON, D.C. - America's leading science agencies have survived an existential threat thanks to bipartisan rejection of massive budget cuts proposed by the Trump Administration, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and senior member of the Finance Committee, announced today.

Today, the Senate passed a bipartisan second FY 2026 minibus appropriations bill that stabilized funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Science Foundation (NSF), and boosted funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). All three agencies are overseen by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill now goes to the White House for President Trump's signature.

"Our science and technology enterprise is the envy of the world and the growth engine of our innovation economy. The President's budget would have slashed a quarter of NASA's funding and half of the National Science Foundation's funding, jeopardizing our economic competitiveness and national security. Instead, Congress held the line, protecting America's ability to do big things, like establishing a permanent outpost on the Moon, developing space technology that monitors extreme weather and protects our citizens from natural disasters, and inventing the microelectronics of the future that power information systems and lifesaving medical devices. Our world-class researchers and technologists will have the resources they need to expand the boundaries of knowledge that have long enabled us to invent our future," Sen. Cantwell said.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA stunned the world and inspired generations on the day Americans first set foot on the moon. Since then, NASA has:

• Pioneered breakthroughs and discoveries that superpowered America's innovation economy;
• Helped the U.S. achieve global leadership in space technology;
• Pushed the boundaries of knowledge about the origins of our universe with stunning images collected by space-based telescopes, and;
• Leveraged earth sciences to protect the American public from natural disasters.

President Trump's FY2026 budget would have cut over $6 billion from NASA's budget. Under the minibus appropriations bill passed today, the agency will receive $24.44 billion, only slightly less than last year's budget of $24.88 billion.

NASA's budget includes funding for:

• Human Landing System (HLS): The bill provides $2.005 billion for the crewed lunar lander that will return American astronauts to the surface of the moon. This is a $586 million increase (29%) from FY24/FY25 enacted levels, enough funding to meet all contractual obligations for both HLS providers in this fiscal year.
• Science: The bill provides $7.25 billion for NASA science, a $50 million decrease from FY24/FY25 enacted levels - but a $3.34 billion increase from President Trump's budget.
• Space Technology: The appropriation for space technology programs is $920.5 million, which is a $180 million decrease over FY25 enacted levels, but a significant increase over President Trump's proposal of $569 million.
• Aeronautics: The bill provides $935 million for aeronautics, the same as FY24/FY25 and a $346 million increase from President Trump's budget.
• Office of STEM Engagement: President Trump's budget eliminated this program completely. The bill provides $143 million for STEM Engagement, the same amount as the FY24/FY25 enacted levels.

Sen. Cantwell's Commerce Committee alerted Senators and their staffs to the danger facing NASA with a September 2025 report, "The Destruction of NASA's Mission": Whistleblowers reveal OMB's Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency. The report revealed that OMB Director Russell Vought had been directing NASA-since early summer 2025-to begin implementing the devastating cuts in President Trump's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PBR), without regard for the destructive impacts to NASA's missions, safety, and workforce.

Earlier that month, at a Commerce Committee hearing, Sen. Cantwell forcefully explained why the U.S. must stay ahead of China in the space race. "The strategic value of maintaining our position to live and work in space is critical," said Sen. Cantwell. "It's critical to our future economic and national security. All you have to do is look back to the 1960s and look at the development of technologies that created an ecosystem within the United States of America that led to discoveries and innovations that we're still now counting on today."

In December, Sen. Cantwell supported the nomination of Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator - only after securing assurances that he would defend the agency's science mission and role in developing America's next generation of science leaders. Earlier in the year, Sen. Cantwell had pressed Isaacman on his commitment to protect critical NASA programs from DOGE cuts and support the Artemis mission.

Sen. Cantwell has been a champion for our nation's space industry and its aerospace workforce, and currently oversees NASA and the space industry as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee. In March 2025, Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the bipartisan NASA Transition Authorization Act to set near-term priorities for NASA programs, advance American leadership, and prevent the United States from falling behind in the space race with China and our strategic competitors.

National Science Foundation

NSF supports fundamental science research and innovation in all 50 states. Some of the products that would not exist without NSF research include Medtronic pacemakers or insulin pumps, ChatGPT, Nvidia GPU chips that power ChatGPT; Alexa; MRIs for medical imaging; Teslas, cruise control; Da Vinci robotic surgical systems; quantum computers - even Fortnite, according to Dr. Dean Chang, Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Vice President for Innovation & Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at the University of Maryland, who joined Sen. Cantwell in speaking out against proposed NSF cuts.

The president wanted to only provide $3.9 billion for the NSF. The bill provides $8.75 billion, more than double Trump's requested amount. It's a 4.0% decrease from FY24/FY25 appropriation of $9.1 billion.

NSF's budget includes funding for:

• Research: The bill provides $7.177 billion for research, a $4.189 billion increase over the FY26 PBR levels and no change over FY24/FY25 enacted levels.
• Regional Innovation Engines: The bill provides $200 million in funding for Regional Innovation Engines.
• STEM Education: The bill provides $938 million for STEM Education, a tripling of the FY26 PBR level of $288 million and a 20% ($234 million) decrease from FY24/FY25 enacted levels.

National Science Foundation cuts were the subject of a May 2025 press conference held by Sen. Cantwell. She was joined by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and a panel of prestigious scientists including Dr. Chang.

"We are in an Information Age. We are in an age where there are several areas of U.S. competitiveness that depend on continued science innovation, aerospace being one of those, certainly AI being another, quantum being a third," Sen. Cantwell said at the time. "And all of this is being put into jeopardy by this cut."

NIST is the gold standard in measurement and standards that allow technology to work. Among the many products that rely on NIST's work are the smart electric power grid, electronic health records, atomic clocks, advanced nanomaterials, and computer chips.

The president's budget also proposed just $830 million in funding for NIST. This bill provides $1.847 billion, more than double the amount requested - a 21% increase from FY24/FY25 enacted levels.

NIST's budget includes funding for:

• Research: The bill provides $1.249 billion for NIST research, a 44% ($550 million) increase from FY26 PBR levels and a 14% ($169 million) increase from FY24/FY25 enacted levels.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The bill provides $175 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, which is the same amount as FY24/FY25 enacted levels. The FY26 PBR would have zeroed out this program.
• Manufacturing USA: The bill provides $37 million for the Manufacturing USA Program, the same amount as FY24/FY25 enacted levels and FY26 PBR.
• U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI): The bill makes available $10 million for CAISI, formerly known as the AI Safety Institute, which is equivalent to the FY24/FY25 enacted levels. It also includes a further $45 million for NIST AI-research and measurement science efforts.

Sen. Cantwell was a main architect and key negotiator of the 2022 CHIPS & Science Act. In her position as Chair of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, she was instrumental in securing the science R&D funding authorizations in the 11th hour of negotiations. The new law authorized a new mission at the NSF focusing on translational science in key areas - including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, composites, energy, and biotech -- with an authorization of $20 billion over five years.

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