US Federal Government Suggests Major Reductions to Basic Research Financing
The Trump administration’s financial plan for the 2026 fiscal year indicates a substantial decrease in the US federal government’s allocation for basic research, cutting it by 34%, from $45 billion to $30 billion. This assessment, supplied by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), reveals that the projected reductions in basic and applied research, as well as funding for R&D facilities, could amount to a 22% decline, falling from $198 billion to $154 billion.
Joanne Padrón Carney of the AAAS remarked on the unprecedented severity of these reductions, suggesting that they would revert research funding to inflation-adjusted levels last observed in the late 1990s. Carney voiced concerns about the US’s capacity to compete in vital sectors like biomedicine, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, alerting that economic advantages from science-driven innovations might be at risk.
Neal Lane, a physicist and past science adviser under President Clinton, shared these views, noting the anticipation of such reductions given the wider consequences of Trump’s policies. Lane warned that implementing these cuts would lead the US to forfeit its historical global scientific leadership to China within just one year.
John Holdren, a former science adviser under President Obama, described these proposed funding cuts as harmful to the foundations of the US economy, public health, environmental protections, and national security. He remained hopeful that Congress, driven by a bipartisan acknowledgment of these essential areas, would dismiss the proposed budget.
Details regarding these proposals were initially presented in a “skinny version” of the budget request released in May, succeeded by a more comprehensive breakdown in June. Specific programs, such as chemistry within the NSF’s maths and physical sciences category, would experience a staggering 75% reduction in funding, while materials research financing may decrease by 71%. These possible alterations indicate significant transformations for the forthcoming landscape of US scientific research and development.