Minibus spending bill provides $24.4 billion for NASA
Posted: Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 5:07 PM ET (2207 GMT)
A final fiscal year 2026 spending bill released by appropriators Monday largely rejects proposed steep budget cuts at NASA. House and Senate appropriators released the text of a “minibus” spending bill that combines three bills, including the commerce, justice and science (CJS) bill that funds NASA. The minibus provides $24.438 billion for NASA, slightly less than the $24.875 billion NASA received in 2025 but well above the White House’s proposal of $18.8 billion. The bill restores nearly all the funding for science, which faced a nearly 50% cut, although it provides no money for the Mars Sample Return program, instead directing NASA to support related technologies. The bill also restores some of the funding cut for space technology and reinstates the STEM Engagement education account, which the proposal sought to cancel. The House is expected to take up the bill later this week, followed by the Senate.
A final fiscal year 2026 spending bill released by appropriators Monday largely rejects proposed steep budget cuts at NASA. House and Senate appropriators released the text of a “minibus” spending bill that combines three bills, including the commerce, justice and science (CJS) bill that funds NASA. The minibus provides $24.438 billion for NASA, slightly less than the $24.875 billion NASA received in 2025 but well above the White House’s proposal of $18.8 billion. The bill restores nearly all the funding for science, which faced a nearly 50% cut, although it provides no money for the Mars Sample Return program, instead directing NASA to support related technologies. The bill also restores some of the funding cut for space technology and reinstates the STEM Engagement education account, which the proposal sought to cancel. The House is expected to take up the bill later this week, followed by the Senate.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, January 11
Sidus Space Appoints Aerospace Executive Kelle Wendling to Board of Directors
Sidus Space — 6:25 pm ET (2325 GMT) Astronomers Reveal Hidden Lives of the Early Universe’s Ultramassive Galaxies
Keck Observatory — 6:23 pm ET (2323 GMT) ThinkOrbital Inc. Announces Seed Round Led by TFX Capital to Accelerate Defense-Driven Space Capabilities, On-Orbit Servicing, and In-Space Construction
ThinkOrbital — 6:19 pm ET (2319 GMT) Starlab and Seven Grand Managers Announce Strategic Investment
Voyager Space — 6:17 pm ET (2317 GMT) Unprecedented Data on Global River Quality, Quantity Now Gathered From Space, Powered by UMass Amherst-Built Software
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst — 6:17 pm ET (2317 GMT) |
