Bill Nye has issued a message to Donald Trump in light of the POTUS’s latest change to NASA.
The TV scientist has spoken out about the president’s proposed direction for the space agency, warning it could damage NASA’s capacity to innovate and move America’s space goals forward.
The comments follow Trump’s release of his proposed fiscal 2027 budget, which could significantly affect the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Nye has criticized NASA funding reductions before. According to ABC, he pushed back on Trump’s 2026 plan that would have reduced the agency’s budget by 24 percent.
After receiving $24.8 billion in fiscal 2025, the figure was reported as potentially falling to $18.8 billion for the following fiscal year.
Now, Nye is responding again, this time addressing Trump’s newest proposal in an interview with NBC News.
Speaking on Monday (April 20) while discussing the Artemis II mission and highlighting NASA achievements, he said: ‘meanwhile, somebody wants to sort of, how do you say, end NASA. It’s a strange time.’
During the conversation, he pointed to Trump’s proposed 23 percent reduction to NASA’s budget and described it as ‘a huge mistake.’
He added: “NASA is the best brand the U.S. has. People around the world recognize NASA. The word science is in the constitution. That’s what keeps the U.S. ahead.”
“You cannot be a leader in space without being a leader in science. It’s just a mistake,” he explained.
Nye also referenced an earlier funding proposal from January—one that Congress ultimately rejected—which would have cut NASA’s budget by 10 percent. He argued the newer plan is more severe.
“Objectively, this time, the President’s Budget Request is written — how would I describe — it’s much lazier,” Nye said of the proposal. “There are typos; they refer to 2026 instead of 2027, and they left out some language arbitrarily. It’s sort of cut and paste without paying attention.”
He also shared further remarks with ABC News on the same day as his NBC appearance, expanding on what he believes the proposed reductions would mean in practice.
There, Nye said the cuts would eliminate NASA’s STEM program and force the cancellation of multiple projects due to cost constraints. He also pulled out a copy of the Constitution, emphasizing his view that Congress has a responsibility to advance science.