Tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk called the Trump administration’s reported plans to drastically reduce NASA funding “troubling” in a Friday social media post.
“I am very much in favor of science, but unfortunately cannot participate in NASA budget discussions, due to SpaceX being a major contractor to NASA,” Musk wrote on X, the social networking platform he owns through his xAI company.
Musk is the CEO of rocket manufacturer SpaceX, so while the Department of Government Efficiency that he leads at the White House has looked for ways to cut federal spending, he hasn’t directly been involved in discussions about programs where he may have a conflict of interest, including NASA.
Musk’s social media post came in response to an Ars Technica editor who wrote, “If you care about science at NASA, this is royally sucks,” with a link to the tech news site’s recent article about proposed space research cuts.
A draft budget plan from the administration calls for NASA’s budget to be slashed 20 percent across the board, according to Ars Technica.
The site reported: “According to the ‘passback’ documents given to NASA officials on Thursday, the space agency’s science programs would receive nearly a 50 percent cut in funding. After the agency received $7.5 billion for science in fiscal-year 2025, the Trump administration has proposed a science topline budget of just $3.9 billion for the coming fiscal year.”
Musk has been a dominant force inside the White House since Trump’s return to office in January. He was a top campaign donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign and publicly endorsed him in the final stretch of the election.
But Musk also has been a near-constant source of speculation about when he would depart the White House. His adviser appointment only allows him to remain in the role for a limited time.
In recent days, Musk engaged in a public spat with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Musk attended Trump’s Cabinet meeting Thursday, but the president appeared to downplay his administrative role.
“Elon has done a fantastic job. Look, he’s sitting here, and I don’t care. I don’t need Elon for anything other than I happen to like him,” Trump told reporters.
The Hill has reached out to NASA and the White House for comment.
