Science on the docket: The 2024 Congressional Day of Action

On Monday, April 29, 2024, nearly 100 space advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual Day of Action. These advocates traveled from across the United States to push for more funding and better support for the nation’s pioneering space science program.

This year was a little different from previous Days of Action. Recently, Congress passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (funding through Sept. 30, 2024) that cut NASA Science for the first time in a decade. This cut comes after five years of stagnant budgets that have not kept pace with inflation, leading to a $1 billion deficit from the agency’s peak funding year in 2020. In addition, the President’s Budget Request for FY 2025 (starting Oct. 1, 2024) includes a slight increase, but is insufficient to allow the agency to make significant progress on its ambitious space program. The requested budget also proposes the delay and cancellation of various space science missions that are part of the roadmap laid out by the Decadal Surveys.

But this situation didn’t dampen spirits; in fact, it energized this year’s space advocates to new levels. And the timing couldn’t have been better. Last week, a bipartisan group of legislators, led by Representative Glenn Ivey (D-Maryland) and Planetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Judy Chu (D-California) and Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), began circulating a letter requesting a funding level of $9 billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in line with the advocacy goals of The Planetary Society.

The Space Policy & Advocacy team sprung into action to update the strategy for the Day of Action to advocate for the letter. In addition to the in-person meetings, an online action was created to enable advocates from around the country to encourage their legislators to sign onto this historic letter. In response, 675 advocates from 49 states and the District of Columbia took action to send letters to their legislators in support of the Day of Action. We are happy to report that the letter was signed by 44 Members of Congress, 10% of the House of Representatives. Signers represent 16 states from across the country, from Maryland to California, New Hampshire to Arizona, and everywhere in between. The full text of the letter is available here, and the list of signatories is shown at the end of this article. 

This funding level requested in the bipartisan letter will allow the NASA Science Mission Directorate to support its program of existing and next-generation space missions. By funding NASA SMD at $9 billion, Congress will enable:

• Increased support for technology development for the next Great Observatory, the Habitable Worlds Observatory;

• Sufficient funding for NASA to move expeditiously on a new path forward for Mars Sample Return;

• Restoration of funding for the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes;

• Full support for the Dragonfly mission to Titan as it reaches a critical stage in its development;

• Keeping NEO Surveyor on track to be the next dedicated space-based telescope to hunt for near-Earth objects;

• Adequate funding to advance the DAVINCI and VERITAS missions, facilitating the investigation of Venus’ atmosphere and surface in the early 2030s;

• Restored funding for other priorities for the Planetary Science, Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Earth Science, and Biological & Physical Science communities.

Joining in on the Day of Action were Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye, Board President Dr. Bethany Ehlmann, Board Members Dr. Jim Bell and Dr. Britney Schmidt, and Space for Humanity Executive Director Antonio Peronace. This group met with Members of Congress to discuss our priorities, current topics in space policy, and the urgency of supporting a balanced, forward-looking portfolio for NASA Science. These meetings included high-ranking members of both parties and leadership of relevant committees. The common thread through all of these meetings was that NASA is the best brand that the United States has. The agency’s science priorities capture the imaginations of people around the world and have strong support in Congress.

The Day of Action and grassroots advocacy is making a difference. As the space science community reels from recent budget cuts that have cost hundreds of jobs at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and industry partners across the country, space advocates showed up to demonstrate the broad support for NASA’s science programs. And as demonstrated by the level of support for the bipartisan letter, space unites people across political, ideological, and demographic backgrounds under a common purpose.

We hope to see you in D.C. next year.

Letter signatories

The following members of Congress signed the letter led by Representatives Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), Judy Chu (D-California), and Glenn Ivey (D-Maryland) requesting a funding level of $9 billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in line with the advocacy goals of The Planetary Society: