00:00NASA is at the center of a very serious controversy as a new report argues that the American Space Agency is being pressurized to implement President Trump's budget cuts and bypass Congress's established budgeting process.
00:14The report comes from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
00:19It reveals that since early this summer, NASA has been moving forward with implementing cuts based on the President's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget.
00:30This is happening even though Congress has not approved this budget so far.
00:35The move is described as a violation of the U.S. Constitution, which clearly grants Congress the authority over government spending.
00:43Now, at the heart of this issue is a strong directive coming from the White House Office of Management and Budget, or OMB.
00:49According to whistleblowers inside NASA, OMB officials have pressured the agency to start making damaging cuts now before Congress can act.
00:59One NASA official, the Chief of Staff Brian Ukes, is reported to be leading this push.
01:04He allegedly told employees that the President's budget should be followed because it is the quote-unquote responsible thing to do.
01:12Even if Congress disagrees, these actions have not just upset lawmakers, they have also shaken NASA employees themselves.
01:21Whistleblowers say that these early budget cut implementations are already impacting safety at the agency.
01:27One insider even warned that there is a real fear that an astronaut could die within a few years if the current path continues.
01:35The report paints a troubling picture of a culture of fear taking hold inside NASA.
01:40Employees say that they are being told to keep their heads down.
01:44They feel discouraged from raising safety concerns, fearing retaliation or job losses.
01:49This is especially alarming given NASA's history, where safety has always been a top priority following tragic accidents in the past.
01:58An important program meant to safeguard safety, the OMB's program has also been compromised.
02:04This program, created after the Columbia Shuttle disaster, allows workers to raise safety and performance issues confidentially.
02:11But now the whistleblowers are saying that political pressure is silencing that voice.
02:17With workers afraid to speak up, the risk of accidents only grows.
02:21One whistleblower even shared that they came close to calling for an immediate stop to a dangerous test because of staffing shortages caused by budget cuts.
02:32But the pressure to confirm and continue is overwhelming as per the reports.
02:36Former NASA astronaut Garrett Risman visited the agency this year and described the atmosphere inside as one of fear and uncertainty.
02:46He said that this environment makes it harder to prevent the next tragedy in human space flight.
02:52The Senate report and over 360 current and former NASA employees have voiced a strong opposition to these budget cuts in an open letter known as the Voyager Declaration.
03:03They say that these rapid and wasteful changes put political priorities ahead of human safety, scientific progress and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
03:13Congressional leaders, including Senator Maria Cantwell, have demanded a stop to these illegal budget manipulations.
03:20They reaffirm that budget control lies with Congress alone.
03:24Any attempt to implement budget cuts without congressional approval is unconstitutional.
03:29The White House's continuing plan to use impoundment holding back funds appropriated by Congress to force the NASA budget down to the President's requested cuts is being called out as unlawful.
03:41The fallout could be devastating.
03:44Mass layoffs, cancelled programs and closures of key NASA facilities.
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