
The president has unveiled the federal government's budget proposal, and there's some very bad news for the space agency.
NASA just got absolutely hammered by President Donald Trump, and it’s going to lead to some big changes for the agency. The White House just released its fiscal 2018 budget proposal, and it includes provisions that would shutter five NASA Earth science projects and totally shut down the agency’s education office, resulting in a steep overall cut to the agency.
The proposal would carve out $19.092 billion for NASA, which is $561 million less than the most recent budget. Nevertheless, NASA leadership put a positive spin to the proposal, with acting administrator Robert Lightfoot saying in a statement that it was a “very positive” budget that “reflects the president’s confidence” in the space agency.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), however, was not a fan, saying in a statement from a May 23 hearing: “There are some positive elements, like full funding for commercial crew, and some not-so-positive elements, such as the cuts to Earth science, education and to exploration. … The spending plan simply does not go far enough for NASA or for various space centers.”
“Today, President Trump released his Fiscal Year 2018 budget request for the federal government,” Lightfoot said in the statement. “At $19.1 billion, we have a very positive budget that retains the same parameters we saw in March, and which reflects the president’s confidence in our direction and the importance of everything we’ve been achieving.
“I want to reiterate how proud I am of the NASA team and its hard work. It’s making a real difference in this country and around the world. NASA missions inspire the next generation, inject innovation into the national economy, provide critical information needed to address national challenges, and support global engagement and international leadership.”
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