On Friday, the Trump administration released its proposed budget for 2027. The budget blueprint includes significant cuts to NASA, but even more severe limits for other science-focused agencies, sparing no department. The document contains highly political language and brings up issues that have stirred frustration among the right-wing for years.
If this all seems familiar, it’s because the document is mostly a rehash of last year’s proposal, which Congress largely disregarded by maintaining relatively stable research budgets. By presenting a similar budget again, the administration is indicating that this is an ongoing political struggle. Despite the reluctance of Congress to engage, the past year has shown that the administration can still inflict considerable harm on the scientific field.
What’s being proposed?
Almost every agency is facing budget cuts. Agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are hit the hardest, experiencing a 50% reduction in their budgets. Even agencies typically supported, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), overseen by Trump allies, will lose $5 billion from its $47 billion budget. Agencies that have managed to stay clear of political controversies, like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will also see their budgets slashed by over half.
In some cases, the cuts will lead to the elimination of significant programs. For example, the budget for social science research at NSF would be erased, and the NIH would lose both the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Moreover, specific areas are marked for cuts across multiple agencies. Efforts to monitor and/or address the impacts of climate change are on the chopping block in various departments. This was the reason behind the cuts at NIST. “The Budget slashes wasteful spending at NIST that has long funded awards for the development of curricula that advance a radical climate agenda,” the budget proposal reveals. “NIST’s Circular Economy Program exploited grants to universities to promote environmental alarmism.”
