Trump administration proposes nearly 25% cut to NASA budget by 2026

The White House is proposing major changes to NASA in its fiscal year 2026 budget request, seeking to phase out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as well as reduce operations of the International Space Station as part of one of the largest proposed cuts in agency history, Space News reported.

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a top-level budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 May 2. The so-called “skinny” budget includes overall funding levels and some details, but without the same level of detail as a full budget proposal. The ful budget is expected in late May.

For NASA, the skinny budget requests just $18.8 billion for the agency, a cut of nearly 25% from the $24.9 billion the agency received in the full-year continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025.