Sponsors (4)
Introduced January 30, 2026 by Brian Babin · Last progress January 30, 2026
The bill boosts NASA funding, jobs, scientific programs, commercial space opportunity, and oversight—but does so at significant federal cost while constraining agency flexibility, increasing administrative obligations, and creating procurement/competition and safety trade‑offs.
Millions of Americans benefit from continued and increased NASA funding—large appropriations for science, exploration, LEO operations, education, and related programs sustain missions and research (supports science, satellite services, and mission continuity).
Aerospace workers, small commercial space firms, and students gain jobs and stronger markets because the bill sustains Artemis/SLS/Orion programs, authorizes public–private partnerships, expands SBIR flexibility, and funds workforce/STW outreach.
Congress, NASA, and the public gain stronger fiscal and program oversight through required GAO reviews, lifecycle cost reporting before obligations, named committee jurisdiction, and updated procedural alignment—improving transparency and helping limit cost overruns.
Taxpayers face materially higher federal spending (notably a large FY2026 appropriation) that could increase deficits or force offsets and trade-offs with other domestic priorities.
The bill reduces NASA flexibility by embedding program names, imposing statutory cadence/requirements, and strengthening congressional directions—potentially locking in legacy architectures and slowing future program changes.
Procurement restrictions and U.S‑priority sourcing (and some foreign-entity exclusions) could limit competition, raise costs, slow deployment, and crowd out beneficial international partnerships or lower-cost suppliers.
Based on analysis of 18 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes $24.4B for NASA FY2026; directs Artemis continuity, LEO/ISS strategy and reports, commercial partnerships, tech studies (lunar power, cryogenics), Space Grant reforms, and cost-estimating oversight.
Provides roughly $24.4 billion for NASA for FY2026 across exploration, science, aeronautics, operations, technology, education, safety/mission services, construction, and the Inspector General, and directs how NASA should carry out human exploration (Artemis, SLS, Orion, ground systems) while leveraging commercial and international partners. Requires multiple agency and NASA reports and studies on low-Earth orbit (LEO) strategy and transition from the ISS, experimental aeronautics demonstrations, commercial lunar power feasibility, cryogenic valve technologies, and NASA cost-estimating processes; changes Space Grant program award and funding rules; and updates several Title 51 (NASA) statutes and reporting requirements.