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No bucks. No Buck Rogers. The latest FY2026 bill from the House Appropriations Committee preserves NASA's budget at current levels, and Reps. Bacon and Chu urged House appropriators to protect NASA funding in the upcoming Continuing Resolution. Meanwhile, the American Enterprise Institute reports that the Golden Dome initiative could cost well above the White House's projections.
U.S.-China continue to square off on space, with NASA imposing new employment restrictions on Chinese nationals and China offering satellite launch services to developing nations as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
All this and more in this edition of Akin's Space Law, Regulation and Policy Update.
Akin Spotlight
Akin's Trump Executive Order Tracker provides a high-level overview of executive orders published by the new administration. These orders cut across dozens of industries and topics. The Tracker is updated as orders and Akin's in-depth analysis of specific orders are published.
Please visit Akin's Trump Executive Order Overview to view a matrix of the orders.
On The Hill
Articles and Quotes
House Appropriators Approve FY2026 Budget for NASA (Space Policy Online) The House Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2026 Commerce-JusticeScience (CJS) bill on September 10, keeping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) budget at $24.8 billion, which is the same level as FY2025 and a rejection of the Trump administration's proposed 24.3% cut. The committee prioritized human space exploration, providing more funding than both the Senate and the administration's request for that mission area. The bill also included $300 million to continue the Mars Sample Return program, which the administration had proposed to terminate. Additional language in the manager's amendment supported missions such as New Horizons, Juno, Chandra and ULTRASAT, and preserved investments in wind tunnel infrastructure and vertical lift technologies. The amendment added $3 million for a new Deep Space Food Challenge and directed NASA to assess workforce gaps and cross-directorate technology needs. An effort by Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) to block the mandated $85 million transfer of a space shuttle to Texas was defeated. The bill passed the committee on a party-line vote of 34 to 28 and was the final fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill to advance out of committee.
House Passes FY2026 NDAA (Space Policy Online)
The House passed the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on September 10, authorizing funding for the U.S. Space Force and broader Department of Defense (DoD) operations. The legislation, titled the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act, combines the NDAA with the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization (SPEED) Act, a bipartisan effort to reform defense acquisition. The bill passed 231 to 196, with 17 Democrats joining most Republicans and four Republicans voting no. While only 298 of the 1,170 proposed amendments were allowed to proceed, two space-related amendments were adopted. One, offered by Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA), mandates a report on the upper atmosphere and near-space environment, while another by Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) calls for a study on incorporating commercial and state-operated spaceports into national security launch infrastructure. A Democratic amendment seeking to block the transfer of a space vehicle, widely assumed to be Space Shuttle Discovery, from Virginia to Texas was not permitted for floor debate. Although the NDAA authorizes funding levels, actual appropriations must still be made by the House and Senate appropriations committees.
Senate NDAA Delights Defense Startups (Politico)
The Senate's version of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act has drawn praise from emerging defense companies for its provisions aimed at accelerating the DoD's acquisition process. In particular, startups support the inclusion of the Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense (FoRGED) Act, led by Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, which focuses on helping nontraditional firms transition from prototypes to full-scale Pentagon contracts. The House-passed version of the NDAA includes the SPEED Act, a broader acquisition reform bill backed by Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Adam Smith, which also appeals to the tech sector but is viewed as more beneficial to traditional contractors. The Senate bill additionally authorizes multiyear contracts and includes funding for advanced technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence (AI). As House and Senate lawmakers prepare to reconcile the two versions, Senate aides expect their chamber to take the lead in negotiations, particularly in removing controversial provisions inserted into the House bill. Final passage remains pending as floor action has stalled amid unrelated disputes over Senate rules for confirming nominees.
Reps. Bacon, Chu Lead Colleagues in Urging House Appropriators to Explicitly Protect NASA Funding in Upcoming Continuing Resolution (Rep. Don Bacon Press Release)
On September 16, Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Judy Chu (D-CA) led a bipartisan letter urging House Appropriators to include a NASA funding anomaly in the upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR) to prevent the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from prematurely implementing proposed FY2026 budget cuts. The letter warns that absent explicit language, OMB could move forward with deep reductions, particularly to space science programs, as early as October 1, risking billions in sunk investments, weakening national security and surrendering U.S. leadership in space. The lawmakers emphasized that the FY2026 President's Budget Request would affect nearly every congressional district and urged Appropriators to reaffirm congressional intent by protecting NASA funding at no less than the FY2024/2025 enacted levels. The letter was supported by The Planetary Society and reflects broad bipartisan concern over preserving critical NASA programs through FY2026.
Introduced Legislation & Legislative Updates
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) has introduced the Quad Space Act (H.R. 5175), which requires the Secretary of Defense to initiate discussions, through the Quad, with Australia, India and Japan to identify mutual areas of interest with respect to the formulation of best practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) has introduced the Safe Airspace for Americans Act (H.R. 5231), which requires the FAA Administrator to establish procedures and reporting requirements for incidents relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) has introduced a bill to provide for the International Security Affairs authorities of the Department of State (H.R. 5247), which establishes within the Department of State an Under Secretary for International Security Affairs and related bureaus and assistant secretaries to oversee arms control, nonproliferation, political-military affairs, counterterrorism, narcotics and law enforcement, and emerging threats, including in outer space, polar and undersea domains.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has introduced a bill to make revisions in title 51, United States Code, as necessary to keep the title current, and to make technical amendments to improve the United States Code (H.R. 5174), which revises and updates title 51, United States Code, to ensure the title remains current, reorganizes and modernizes provisions relating to aeronautics and space programs, and enacts new authorities for facilities, infrastructure, technology, spaceports, commercial cargo and crew transportation, International Space Station utilization, and human space flight and exploration. The bill was ordered to be reported by voice vote by the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) has introduced a bill to provide for the International Security Affairs authorities of the Department of State (H.R. 5247), which establishes within the Department of State an Under Secretary for International Security Affairs and related bureaus and assistant secretaries to oversee arms control, nonproliferation, political-military affairs, counterterrorism, narcotics and law enforcement, and emerging threats, including in outer space, polar and undersea domains.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has introduced a bill to make revisions in title 51, United States Code, as necessary to keep the title current, and to make technical amendments to improve the United States Code (H.R. 5174), which revises and updates title 51, United States Code, to ensure the title remains current, reorganizes and modernizes provisions relating to aeronautics and space programs, and enacts new authorities for facilities, infrastructure, technology, spaceports, commercial cargo and crew transportation, International Space Station utilization, and human space flight and exploration. The bill was ordered to be reported by voice vote by the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) has introduced the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 5342), which makes Appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. The measure was approved by the House Appropriations Committee with a vote of 34 to 28 and placed on the Union Calendar, no. 228.
Please find our Space Legislation Tracker here.
Recent and Upcoming Congressional Hearings
(September 3, 2025 - September 26, 2025)
On September 3, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (CST) held a hearing titled "Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race."
On September 4, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) held a closed briefing on intelligence matters.
On September 9, SSCI held a closed briefing on intelligence matters.
On September 10, the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) held a markup of the FY2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill (H.R. 5342).
Also on September 10, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) held a closed markup of the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY2026 (H.R. 5167).
Also on September 10, SSCI held a closed briefing on intelligence matters.
On September 16, SSCI held a closed briefing on intelligence matters.
On September 17, SSCI held a closed briefing on intelligence matters.
On September 18, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing to consider nominations.
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