Republicans accuse Biden of cutting Nasa budget

Politicians say president’s proposed budget for space agency is billions less than Trump wanted

Republicans in the US legislature have raised concerns about the White House’s proposed budget for Nasa, characterising president Joe Biden’s plans for the space agency as “cuts” at a “critical juncture”.

At a 23 June House of Representatives science committee hearing, Republican Brian Babin said Biden’s proposed 2022 budget for Nasa was $1.6 billion bigger than what was set aside for the agency in 2021. But he said this was $2.4bn less than the 2022 funding proposed by Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, with drops especially noticeable in exploration.