A group of Maryland lawmakers is urging the Trump administration not to cut federal funding to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center. 

Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey took a tour of the facility in Greenbelt Monday. According to the lawmakers, President Trump is expected to announce the billions in funding cuts in his proposed 2026 budget. 

The lawmakers expressed their opposition to the proposed cuts, saying it would impact NASA Goddard missions and projects. 

"This work is critical to our exploration of space, our understanding of the universe and the planet we live on, our development of new, innovative technologies and our national security," Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks said in a joint statement with other state leaders. 

"Cutting NASA Goddard's missions would not only be harmful to our state – the negative impacts would be felt across the country," the group of lawmakers added.

Trump administration proposes funding cuts at NASA 

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to lowering federal spending and slashing the federal workforce with the goal of making the government more efficient. 

NASA Goddard officials said they were notified of the potential budget cuts on April 10. 

"NASA has received the fiscal year 2026 budget passback from the Office of Management and Budget and has begun the deliberative process," officials said in a statement. 

Under the direction of Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has implemented layoffs at a number of federal agencies and facilitated funding cuts that have impacted schools and research facilities across the country.

Johns Hopkins University researchers have been impacted by federal funding cuts, as the university is one of the top recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. 

The Trump administration is also proposing changes and a 25% budget cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

The cuts would close NOAA's Oceanic and Atmospheric Research team and end funding for climate, weather and ocean labs along with other programs, CBS News reported.

Maryland lawmakers promise to fight proposed cuts to NASA

After meeting with leaders at NASA Goddard, the group of lawmakers held a news conference where they emphasized that two major projects would be impacted by the potential cuts. 

According to Sen. Van Hollen, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope program is on time and on budget with a first launch scheduled in fall 2026. However, the proposed cuts would gut the program. 

Sen. Van Hollen also referred to the Habitable Worlds project, which aims to search for life in the universe. The Trump administration's proposed cuts would shut down the project. 

"It is so damaging to our entire ecosystem when it comes to American leadership and innovation in this area," Sen. Van Hollen said as he vowed to fight the proposed cuts. 

Congressman Steny Hoyer emphasized that the projects and research being conducted at NASA Goddard help the U.S. compete with other nations. 

"This enterprise is going to be critical as we compete with China in science and in space and in technology," Hoyer said. 

"We need to make sure that America continues to be a leader in space, culture, economics," Hoyer added. "This center is absolutely critical." 

Congressman Hoyer and Glenn Ivey both emphasized the administration's ongoing federal cuts and the impact they are making on innovation in the U.S. 

According to Ivey, the cuts on education and research investments at institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland could cause the U.S. to fall behind other nations. 

"Are we going to decide that we want to continue to maintain the lead in science and technology over the rest of the world or not, because right now, China is right at our heels," Congressman Ivey said.