Trump renews proposals to slash US science agency budgets

By Rebecca Trager2026-04-09T13:30:00

Donald Trump standing on the driveway of the White House addressing an unseen person

Source: © Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

White House requests a 55% reduction to the National Science Foundation’s budget, with other agencies facing similar cuts

The Trump administration is proposing dramatic funding cuts for key US research agencies for the next financial year, which begins on 1 October. Research policy experts and science organisations are urging Congress to reject these cuts, as was the case with the president’s 2026 budget request that would have devastated science agencies’ budgets.