Bill Nye Leads Urgent Plea to Congress: Protect NASA Funding from ‘Extinction-Level’ Cuts

Washington D.C. – Bill Nye, famously known as “The Science Guy” and CEO of The Planetary Society, spearheaded a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol yesterday, October 6, 2025, urging Congress to resist proposed “extinction-level” budget cuts to NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Nye, joined by colleagues, space advocates, and legislators, vociferously opposed the Trump administration’s proposed 24% reduction in NASA’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which would slash funding from approximately $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. A significant portion of these cuts, around $6 billion, is slated to impact NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, affecting planetary science, Earth science, and astrophysics research.

“We’re not talking about delays in scientific exploration, we’re talking about the end of it,” Nye stated at the press conference, emphasizing that a 47% cut to NASA’s science research funding would be catastrophic. The Planetary Society has labeled this reduction an “extinction-level event for space exploration,” warning it would terminate several ongoing and planned missions, including the Mars Sample Return, Mars orbiter MAVEN, and the Juno mission, which the White House proposal deems “unaffordable.”

Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, highlighted the organization’s goal to protect existing programs. “This is no new money, it’s no changes in policy, it’s just to continue these projects that we’ve already invested in, already paid for and are currently returning in fantastic science,” Dreier explained, noting that both the House and Senate are showing “a near-full rejection of the proposed cuts.”

Nye and other advocates also stressed the geopolitical implications, warning that such cuts could jeopardize the United States’ leadership in space. “While we’re checking out, our competitors are checking in,” Nye cautioned, pointing to China’s rapid advancements in space exploration. U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) echoed this sentiment, stating, “We’re falling behind with respect to China… The White House almost wants to zero out NASA science.”

More than 300 advocates and 20 science and space partner organizations joined the call to action, urging Congress to finalize legislation that rejects these proposed cuts and protects vital scientific endeavors.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.