Bill Nye warns that the United States could ‘cede its leadership to other countries’ if NASA’s budget is cut

Bill Nye and hundreds of others gathered at the Capitol on Monday to protest the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to NASA, arguing that Congress has an obligation to promote the advancement of science.

“The United States would cede its leadership to other countries, particularly the China National Space Administration,” if funding for NASA Science was cut, Nye said. In an interview on “The Takeout” following the protest, Nye claimed that NASA’s budget was only “a piece of the pie” of the nearly $1.7 trillion federal budget.

“It’s barely the width of the pie cutter, it’s less than 0.1 percent of the federal budget and the return is extraordinary,” he told CBS News’ Major Garrett.

A White House budget proposal released earlier this year would see NASA funding cut by about 25% for fiscal year 2026, from about $24 billion to $18.8 billion.

Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society and former host of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” and about 300 space advocates said Monday that dozens of missions would be at risk — including NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover and the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time in a half-century — if the cuts are approved by Congress.

Despite the proposed cuts, Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said last month as he introduced a new class of 10 NASA astronaut candidates that it is possible that one of them will be among the first Americans to put their boots on Mars. However, the flights are not yet on the drawing board and most experts say no such NASA mission is likely to launch in the next decade, and probably longer.

Duffy also expressed confidence in the United States’ ability to beat China and win the second space race to the Moon.

Referring to the recent news of the discovery of the Mars rover Perseverance rocks that may contain potential signs of ancient microscopic lifeNye said a reduction in NASA’s budget would put the United States behind as China plans to launch its sample return mission in 2028, and possibly bring back samples in 2033.

“Everyone needs to understand that if we found evidence of life on another world, it would change the course of human history,” he added. “So you say, ‘Well, how much does it cost?’ We’re not sure. We never did.”

The 69-year-old science advocate said investing in NASA is “invaluable,” telling Garrett, “So is NASA. Objectively, every dollar invested in NASA science returns at least a factor of three, so if you invest $1 in NASA science, you’re going to get $3 back in the economy.”

“Global positioning, situational awareness… digital cameras, cell phones – it’s all the result of exploring the cosmos,” Nye added.

William Harwood contributed to this report.