Trump wants to slash NASA's budget. That could doom an Ohio State-supported telescope

The Trump administration proposed plans on May 2 to dramatically slash NASA's budget in its 2026 "skinny budget," an outline of how it anticipates allocating government funds during the next fiscal year. According to the proposal, NASA would see a 24% cut to its top-line funding, a move which experts say could be devastating for the space agency and threaten the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission.
Dr. Weinberg, an Ohio State astronomy professor, shared this news, during the Astro Coffee, with students, postdocs, and faculty. Despite being 90% complete and having already spent $3.4 billion, the Roman Space Telescope faces potential cancellation. Though Ohio State University researchers, heavily involved in the project, express concern over the potential loss of scientific progress and reputational damage, they remain hopeful that Congress will intervene and secure funding for the mission.