US Senate panel proposes $24.87 billion for NASA

A US Senate appropriations subcommittee has proposed $24.87 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2027, slightly more than the $24.44 billion Congress approved for the agency in fiscal year 2026. The recommendation is part of a spending bill released by the Senate Appropriations Committee on 12 November.

The proposal is not enacted funding. It also recommends $7.43 billion for NASA science and directs the agency to integrate its Mars Sample Return mission into the Moon-to-Mars program.

How the funding proposals compare

The Senate panel’s recommendations exceed both the Trump administration’s request and the amounts proposed by the House Appropriations Committee. SpacePolicyOnline said the House committee approved its bill on 13 May 2026, but the full House has not passed it.

House Democrats opposed the House bill’s science allocation during subcommittee consideration; it was $1.3 billion below the previous fiscal year’s science funding. The committee later approved the bill along party lines, with Democrats objecting to provisions in its Commerce and Justice sections.

A different role for the Mars mission

Mars Sample Return is intended to bring back samples being collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The Senate subcommittee proposes integrating it into Moon-to-Mars as a proving ground for human exploration, rather than treating it as a standalone science mission.

The subcommittee said it supports the mission insofar as it demonstrates technologies, systems and operational capabilities needed for future human missions to Mars, as well as returning samples for scientific inquiry.

What happens next

NASA reorganized its mission directorates and budget structure earlier in 2026. The subcommittee’s report said the changes came too late and lacked enough detail to incorporate into the bill.

The full Senate Appropriations Committee has not announced a schedule to consider the recommendations. The House and Senate must pass and reconcile spending legislation before it can go to the president, who can sign or veto it.