Former NASA Leaders Are Sounding the Alarm on Budget Cuts

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.3 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

The White House has proposed sharp cuts to NASA’s science budget, potentially reducing it to historic lows not seen since the early Apollo era. Beyond space exploration, NASA’s work influences daily life—from accurate weather forecasting to essential climate data for agriculture. Concerned by the effects of these cuts, all living former NASA science chiefs have united in warning of dire consequences for U.S. leadership in science. In this episode, Scientific American senior editor Lee Billings speaks with host Rachel Feltman to discuss why this moment feels especially urgent and what one former NASA science chief thinks about it. Recommended reading: White House Budget Plan Would Devastate U.S. Space Science U.S. Secretary of the Interior: Satellites Will Help Us Fight Climate Change The Trump-Musk Fight Could Have Huge Consequences for U.S. Space Programs Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:37.1	For Scientific American Science quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman.
0:40.6	The White House recently proposed slashing NASA's science budget nearly in half
0:56.7	and reducing the space agency's overall funding to just three quarters of what it received last year.
1:02.4	When adjusted for inflation, the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would be NASA's lowest
1:07.7	since the beginnings of the Apollo program.
1:10.6	But these days, NASA is responsible for much more than keeping up with the space race.
1:15.6	NASA's work touches our daily lives in ways most people never realize,
1:19.9	from the weather forecasts that help you decide what to wear,
1:22.7	to the climate data that helps farmers know when to plant their crops.
1:26.7	The stakes are so high that every living former NASA science chief,
1:31.3	spanning from Ronald Reagan's administration through Joe Biden's,
1:35.3	recently signed a letter warning that these cuts could be catastrophic
1:38.3	for American leadership in space and science.
1:42.3	Today we're joined by Lee Billings, a senior editor at Scientific American who covers space and science. Today we're joined by Lee Billings, a senior editor at Scientific American
1:45.9	who covers space and physics. He spoke with one of those former NASA science chiefs about why
1:50.9	this moment feels different and why the scientific community is sounding the alarm. Lee, thanks
	...

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