Donald Trump wants to take the United States back to the moon, and is willing to slash an education grant that helps low-income college students pay their tuition to get there.

Under a new proposal from the Trump administration sent to Congress, the president is asking that some $1.6bn (£1.2bn) in funding be reallocated from the US federal Pell Grant programme into Nasa, citing a budget surplus for the grant represents the largest source of aid for low-income students in America.

The money is being sought in order to help launch a mission to the moon in 2024, a full four years earlier than initially planned by the space agency.

But, the planned funding source has been criticised on several fronts, with even those in the space community crying foul.

“I’m all for space travel and returning to the moon but not at the expense of education,” Jose Hernandez, a retired Nasa astronaut, tweeted in response to the news. “If the Pell Grant money is a surplus, how about increasing the size of grants so college grads don’t graduate with so much debt?”

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The federal pell grant programme helps more than seven million students each year, with awards ranging depending on income, but reaching as high as $6,095 per student.

The plan to strip money from the programme comes as the United States is encountering a deepening student loan crisis, with debt for secondary education topping $1.5tn this year among 44 million borrowers. That's the highest debt load for student loans in US history.

In response to the Trump administration’s plans, education groups like the American Council on Education said that cutting money from the surplus could destabilise the Pell Grant programme in the years to come.

“Sure, there is no immediate impact, but what you have done is undercut the stability of a programme that’s really critical for helping students afford college,” Jon Fansmith, the director for government relations for the organisation, told PBS. “This really is an expression of priorities by the administration.”