Note: This analysis uses AI to help identify potential outreach strategies for space science issues. Because it uses AI, it is important to understand the sources and limitations of this analysis. Space-related committee assignments (if present), and additional sources (if present), are from congress.gov and a direct output of a targeted web search. Opportunities, challenges, overall summary, and preparation recommendations are products of AI analyses. The biography uses AI to summarize key aspects of the member's Wikipedia page. All AI-generated claims, assessments, and recommendations should be independently verified. This is an experimental feature, and intended to provide guidance and inspiration for outreach strategies for your meeting. Feedback is welcome: casey.dreier@planetary.org.
Representative Foushee is likely to be receptive to advocacy for increased NASA space science funding, particularly given her role as Ranking Member of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and her recent leadership in opposing proposed drastic cuts to the Science Mission Directorate in the FY2026 budget. Her district also directly benefits from significant NASA science grants, including for astrophysics and Earth science research at local universities and institutions, which she has explicitly linked to local jobs and U.S. leadership.
However, advocates should be prepared for her broad legislative agenda, which encompasses many issues beyond space. While she consistently supports NASA and STEM, her public statements often focus on general scientific achievement and workforce development, rather than granular advocacy for all individual Science Mission Directorate disciplines. Highlighting the specific local impact of these diverse science programs will be key.
Opposition to NASA Science Cuts: Representative Foushee led a bipartisan effort in July 2025 to urge NASA to refrain from implementing proposed drastic cuts to the Science Mission Directorate in the FY2026 budget request, warning of threats to U.S. leadership and research. She explicitly stated that federal cuts threaten local communities and jobs in her district, which includes institutions like Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill that receive significant NASA science grants. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)
Ranking Member, Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee: As Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Representative Foushee holds a key position to influence NASA policy and funding for science and exploration. Her district benefits from NASA science grants to institutions such as Research Triangle Institute and Metacept, Inc., which fall under the subcommittee's purview. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)
Advocacy for STEM Workforce and Education: Representative Foushee consistently emphasizes that NASA's science missions are crucial for developing a robust STEM workforce and inspiring future scientists and engineers, as highlighted in her July 2025 statements opposing budget cuts. She visited North Carolina research and life science programs with NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy in August 2023, underscoring her commitment to local STEM development, including a NASA grant to North Carolina Central University.
Support for Lunar Science and Exploration: In an April 2025 hearing, Representative Foushee highlighted the importance of frequent and affordable access to the Moon for answering fundamental scientific questions and advancing lunar science and exploration. Duke University in her district received a $6.1 million NASA grant for a project supporting cosmological measurements, demonstrating high-level scientific research aligned with broader space science goals. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)
Direct Local NASA Science Investments: Her district has received substantial NASA grants for science activities, including $6.1 million to Duke University for astrophysics research and $1.6 million to Research Triangle Institute for Earth science, indicating a direct local benefit from NASA's Science Mission Directorate. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024) These grants directly support scientific research and development within her congressional district. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)