The Donald Trump government is reportedly planning to eliminate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as per viral claims on social media.
The Trump government has announced massive budget cuts for NASA in FY2026.(Getty Images via AFP)
A news aggregator site on X wrote, “Trump administration considering eliminating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).”
Another said, “The Trump administration is reportedly contemplating getting rid of/reducing NASA. The private sector would most likely make up for any losses.”
HT.com could not verify these claims. Nonetheless, they sparked a massive reaction online, given that NASA has helped the US remain at the forefront of space exploration, including giving mankind a moon landing.
“This would be such a disastrous decision,” one person remarked on X. Another said, “This is a huge mistake and will be detrimental to our national security. Russia and China are still ramping up. We can’t afford to be behind them.” Yet another commented, “This is probably the most stupid thing you could possibly do. Name one agency who has a bigger achievement than going to the moon? And name a more important domain to explore than space. I’ll wait…”.
Is the Trump government eliminating NASA?
The Trump government has announced massive budget cuts for NASA in FY2026, which reportedly resulted in 41 space missions being scrapped, as per the NGO, Planetary Society. However, there are no official reports or confirmations to indicate that the government is eliminating NASA.
Elon Musk’s strong warning about NASA
Notably, the claims about NASA being eliminated came after Elon Musk, on X, took strong aim at the acting administrator of the space agency, Sean Duffy.
“Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!,” he wrote on X, his platform. Musk also shared a post from the Senior Space Editor of Ars Technica, which said, “The Wall Street Journal report confirms what I’ve heard about Duffy pushing for NASA to fold into the Department of Transportation. He’s meeting with Senators. For him, a win-win: he gets to take credit for NASA’s success, but doesn’t have to run the agency.”
Thus, while NASA might not be facing elimination, it could lose its independence, if it were to become part of another agency. The Wall Street Journal reported on Duffy’s desired push.
Musk’s ire at Duffy reportedly comes after the transport secretary told media companies that SpaceX was falling behind US plans to return to the moon, as per CNBC. It also comes at a time when there is a reported power struggle to be the next administrator of the space agency. While Duffy reportedly wants to lead NASA personally, rumors are doing the rounds about Jared Isaacman potentially being re-nominated for the role. Isaacman, the CEO of Shift4 Payments, had had his initial nomination withdrawn by Trump in May. The president appointed Duffy as interim administrator, but Musk, in a X post, made it mighty clear whose side he’s on amid the recent tussle.
“Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America’s space program?,” Musk asked in a poll on X, referring to Duffy’s history as the world champion speed climber.