Policy Update (6 May 2026)

On 29 April, the House Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Subcommittee released their Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) appropriations bill. The bill includes a 17% cut to the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), a 20% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF), and a 16% cut to the National Institute of Standards and Technology compared to FY26 funding levels. On 30 April, the House CJS Subcommittee held a markup to consider the bill, which was ultimately approved by the Subcommittee. The full Appropriations Committee scheduled their markup for 13 May.

At the time of writing this blog, the accompanying FY27 CJS report, which includes more detailed spending and policy direction from the appropriations committee, is not yet available. When the CJS report becomes available, we will write a separate blog post about any details pertinent to the astronomical sciences.

Last week, all 24 members of the National Science Board (NSB) were notified that their positions were terminated, effective immediately. The National Science Board was created by an act of Congress in 1950 to work with the NSF Director to recommend science and engineering policies and promote research and education. Each NSB member is appointed by the President for a term of six years. An article from AIP FYI notes that the White House has said that these firings are driven by a 2021 ruling, US v. Arthrex, which sets limits on the powers of executive-branch officials who are not confirmed by the Senate. However, former members of the NSB have stated that the board was aware of the Supreme Court decision and took steps to ensure that its activities did not run counter to the ruling. Dara Norman, AAS President, issued a statement regarding the action, stating that “it will jeopardize US standing and leadership in fundamental science and technology innovation.”

On 23 and 24 April, respectively, the AAS sent letters to the Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittees and the Energy-Water Subcommittees requesting robust support for NASA’s SMD, NSF, and the US Department of Energy Office of Science in FY 2027.

On 1 May, the AAS submitted a comment to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on a notice titled “Unleashing American Drone Dominance.” In the comment, the AAS urges the FCC to “support [Uncrewed Aircraft System] UAS innovation while ensuring continued compatibility with critical scientific services by explicitly applying existing protections, maintaining strong emission controls, and considering the unique characteristics of UAS operations.”

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine are currently soliciting community suggestions for subject experts to join the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Committee on Radio Frequencies, due 11 and 20 May, respectively.