Urge Your Senators to Support NASA Science

This action alert is closed. Thank you to everyone who took action in support of NASA Science! We will update this page once we have the final number of signatories on the Dear Colleague Letter.

In March, 103 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter urging Congress to appropriate $9 bllion for the NASA Science Mission Directorate. Now it is the Senate's turn to act.

Another fiscal year is upon us, and Congress is beginning to set spending priorities for FY 2027. While Congress acted to preserve funding for the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in FY 2026, months of fiscal uncertainty following the FY 2026 President’s Budget Request (PBR) resulted in the loss of top talent and capability within NASA and its Centers. This year, we expect to see a similarly disruptive PBR for FY27, and it is up to Congress to take swift action and ensure support of NASA SMD.

AAS has worked with other science societies and stakeholder groups, as well as the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus, to develop a Congressional letter advocating for $9 billion in NASA SMD funding in FY 2027. Funding at this level would allow NASA SMD to move forward with the scientific missions and goals recommended by the National Academies' decadal surveys. The letter is led by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and is directed to Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

You can read the contents of the letter here.

We need your help in getting your senators to sign this letter in support of NASA SMD. Every voice counts.

We have provided an example phone and email script to help you craft your message. Please share some details about the work you do that is enabled by NASA SMD funding in the "Personal message" box. The most effective action would be to both email and call your senators, but if you can only do one, a phone call is more likely to have an immediate impact.

Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions before reaching out to your representative. Please note that any messages with crude or inflammatory language will not be passed on, and please be respectful during any communications with Congressional offices (messages should align with the AAS Mission and Vision Statement and AAS Code of Ethics).  

Thank you for advocating for your research and the U.S. astronomical community.