AAS Sends Letter to Congress in Support of NASA Science

On Wednesday, 30 April 2025, the AAS joined seven other organizations to submit a letter to Congress opposing reported deep cuts to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in the draft President's Budget Request. The letter underscores the devastating consequences of cutting NASA SMD by 47%, including:

• The secession of American leadership in the space sciences.
• The halted development of future NASA missions, including decadal priorities such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the Geospace Dynamics Constellation, and Mars Sample Return.
• The severe impacts to our STEM workforce and training pipeline at universities, research institutions, and NASA centers around the country.
• The setbacks to national security caused by underfunding planetary defense and space weather research.

The full letter is available in two versions:

• Addressed to the leadership of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce,
  Justice, Science and Related Agencies (PDF)
• Addressed to the leadership of the House and Senate authorizing committees with oversight over NASA (PDF)

You can contribute to this effort by taking action now. Use this form to send a message to your members of Congress urging them to sign on to a letter in support of NASA science. Our collective action has already resulted in over 40 members of Congress signing on to this letter, and we are looking for even more support.

We are also deeply concerned about the reported cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. We have worked with other stakeholders to send a letter to Congress opposing 15% indirect cost caps at DOE, and we are also working with our coalitions to raise the alarm about NSF funding cuts. You can help by urging your members of Congress to sign letters in support of NSF and the DOE Office of Science as well.

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