Federal funding for basic research would fall to levels not seen since 1990s under Trump proposal
By 
Rebecca Trager2025-07-16T13:30:00
Total federal funding for R&D could decrease by more than 20%
US federal government funding for basic research would fall by more than a third, or approximately 34%, from $45 billion (£33.5 billion) to $30 billion under President Trump’s budget proposal for financial year 2026, according to new analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Further, if Congress enacts the plan, the AAAS found that it would decrease science funding more broadly – including basic and applied work, as well as at R&D facilities – by about 22%, from $198 billion to $154 billion.