Streamlly Original
Congress backs $24.4 billion NASA budget
Reported by Alecia Venkataraman, Michael McDevitt, Toni Mitchell, Michael Jorge
- Published: Jan 28, 2026, 11:56 PM EST
- Updated: Jan 27, 2026, 1:51 PM EST
- Duration: 30 sec
- Views: 1.4K
January 26, 2026 — Congress has approved a $24.4 billion NASA budget, pushing back against the deep cuts President Trump proposed.
Lawmakers rejected much of the Trump administration’s requested reductions, including roughly a 24% cut to NASA’s funding and nearly a 47% cut to its science programs. Instead, NASA’s actual budget ended up only slightly lower than last year’s level.
The budget will keep key NASA work in place, especially at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which leads human spaceflight operations. Congress also included protections for the Gateway lunar station and threatened science missions.
Reportedly, even with the funding in place, NASA has been operating under a smaller workforce, about 20% fewer workers due to buyouts and departures.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission was canceled due to cost and technical concerns. However, the budget did include funding for a new Mars initiative focused on future missions to keep long-term exploration alive.
Credits
- Alecia VenkataramanWriter/Creative Director/team/alecia-venkataraman
- Michael McDevittVideo Editor/team/michael-mcdevitt
- Toni MitchellSenior Reporter/team/toni-mitchell
- Curtiss PhilipsenActor /VO Artist/team/curtiss-philipsen
- Michael JorgeSenior Video Editor/team/michael-jorge
Transcript
Out
here
Life is
fragile
Every
plant
tested
Every
variable
measured
We’ve been
learning
how to
grow
food
Where
nothing
should
grow
For the
Moon
for
Mars
For
mission
still
ahead
The
science
was
ready
And now
the budget
is too
The US
Government
has
approved
billion
in
funding
for
NASA