Rep. Schiff Blasts NASA’s Disastrous Budget Cuts to Mars Sample Return Mission
Washington, D.C.— Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to NASA’s unprecedented cuts to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, led by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
“Today’s announcement by NASA confirming dramatic cuts to the Mars Sample Return mission is a disaster for the scientific and space community. NASA's decision displays a troubling indifference towards some of our nation's most brilliant minds and years of innovation to advance this mission. It is particularly alarming that these cuts disproportionately target California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an institution at the forefront of numerous scientific breakthroughs. NASA’s ill-considered decision flies in the face of Congressional intent and will result in the loss of hundreds of California jobs. It will also deliver a serious blow to our nation’s leadership in space exploration.”
Schiff has continuously opposed the shortsighted budget cuts to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. In November 2023, he and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) spearheaded a bipartisan, bicameral letter from the California delegation, urging NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to reverse the funding reductions. Following NASA's announcement of federal budget cuts, Schiff issued a statement against the forced reduction of Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) workforce by 530 employees, which constituted eight percent of its total staff, through layoffs.
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