The US Congress agreed to a reduction in NASA investment for the next two years, following a partisan impasse. Although the organization approved part of the delayed 2024 budget and authorized Joe Biden’s request for the 2025 budget, the total to be spent was revised downwards, with Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, revealing that the space agency was being caught in the middle of necessary cuts.
NASA and other agencies were given the green light to spend up to $467 billion for fiscal year 2024, and approval came just before the legal deadline expired. This money does not cover all government programs and agencies, with another deadline now approaching on March 22, says the Space.com.
Bill Nelson disputes that, despite having bipartisan support, NASA is suffering the same cuts over the next two fiscal years because a “small group in the House of Representatives” believes so. Although the negotiations were complex and prolonged, many politicians are still concerned about the spending deficit and prefer to reserve funds for other purposes.
“I promise you – each and every one of you – who are part of the NASA team that I, and we, will continue to do everything we can to fight for NASA,” said Bill Nelson in the annual State of NASA address. The new budget now approved suggests that NASA must gradually spend less on the International Space Station, is not committed to returning exhibits from Mars and is already considering $7.6 billion for the Artemis program, for the return to the Moon.
